


We Flock Together

by ChiiwiFruit



Series: Classified: Clones of the Beast [2]
Category: And The World Will Turn To Ash - Fandom, Pokemon GO
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Injury, Character Death, Character with disordered eating and disordered sleep, Child Abuse, Clones, Family Feels, Gen, Human Experimentation (mention), Physical Deformity, Severe Physical Scarring, Team Cipher, Violence, medical setting, traumatized child
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:40:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 28,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23580190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChiiwiFruit/pseuds/ChiiwiFruit
Summary: Months after Merle's disappearance, Sabrina finally tracks them to Coumarine City in Kalos. Noire and Blanche go with her to confront Magpie and Sparrow, and are immediately recruited for a mission at a remote Cipher outpost to rescue more clones. A continuation of Birds of a Feather.Based off Chibiwriter's ficShades of___andSurfacage'scomicAnd the World Will Turn to Ashand probably won't make sense unless you've read both of those works. Grisaille is used with Chibiwriter's permission.
Series: Classified: Clones of the Beast [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1697398
Comments: 66
Kudos: 22





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Updates every other Saturday.

It took months of waiting. Months where Noire pulled their hair out, kicked things, and screamed at Blanche because Magpie, _damn them_ , wasn’t here to scream at. Sabrina said be patient, Sabrina said she had a team on it, Sabrina said that Merle would be brought back to them. But Noire didn’t give a crap about what Sabrina _said_ if they weren’t allowed to be part of the mission searching for Merle.

They hated just waiting.

So what if they had other important missions to do?

So what if they were too valuable to waste on a scout mission?

So _what?_

Grisaille was devastated. The child didn’t cry - they almost never did, and only when they thought their older siblings were furious with them to the point where they thought forgiveness was impossible - but they had barely spoken since Merle’s disappearance. The best Noire could get out of them was one word answers to direct questions. Spark sometimes had more luck, since the kid was insanely emotionally attached to him, but even that was rare.

Blanche was... well, devastated might be the right word, but furious might be better. Noire knew that Blanche was deeply hurt by Merle’s defection, but also by Sparrow and Magpie’s betrayal. There wasn’t much comforting going on between the two of them, because Blanche did even more screaming at Noire than Noire did at Blanche.

It took goddamn months, but the team of operatives Sabrina assigned to search for Merle tracked them down. It took all of Noire’s willpower not to cry when Sabrina told them, keeping the semblance of professionalism by having the meeting in her office with Noire standing. 

Merle had been taken to the resort town of Coumarine City in Kalos. According to the operatives, they had attempted to secure Merle and bring them back to Opal, but between Magpie and “a large man built like an Ursaring” their attempts had been thwarted. So Sabrina arranged to make the trip to Kalos personally, hoping to reason with Magpie. She was going to leave Noire behind. At that, Noire threw a fit. They were going. They’d book their own transportation if they had to. They wanted to see Merle. Noire knew Merle had left willingly, they even got why, but they needed to see Merle. After a shouting match that everyone who overheard refused to acknowledge, Sabrina gave in. 

When both Noire _and_ Blanche showed up at the airport, Sabrina opened her mouth and drew breath as if to shout. Just as abruptly she closed it, turned and boarded the plane without a word, leaving the others to follow her. None of them spoke on the flight to Kalos.

But now, here they were in Coumarine City. Sabrina followed the directions she had written on a slip of paper, and the other two followed. Soon the group was standing in front of a multi-level building with what appeared to be a family doctor clinic on the first floor, and living space on the floors above.

Sabrina doubted that Magpie lived in the clinic itself, but Blanche noticed a path down the side of the building that lead to the entry door to the upper levels. Noire pressed the buzzer, and they all waited in tense silence until the door was opened, by Magpie themself.

The last time Noire saw Magpie, they had still been recovering from the injuries they received in Orre. Now they were glowing with health. Their skin had lost the grey sheen it had while they were recovering, and their hair was loose and glossy, cut in a straight line at the ends. They were wearing a purple button-up shirt with a small floral design, and their feet were bare.

They expected Magpie to slam the door in their faces. They expected a fight. They did not expect Magpie to gaze at them for a moment, a hand on their hip, then turn to call over their shoulder. “Merle! Your Sabrina is here to see you!”

There was a humming beat of silence. Then feet pattered closer and closer and Merle appeared, barreling down the stairs. Sabrina’s body braced, expecting them to slam into her, but Merle was too well-trained. They skidded to a halt a full foot away. Merle bounced on the balls of their feet, making grasping motions with their hands and staring at her with huge wet eyes. They were the physical manifestation of anxiety. Noire’s heart clutched to see it, but Merle wasn’t reaching out for _them_.

It was clear that Merle was too distressed to speak, so Sabrina held her arms out. “Yes,” she said. Yes, you can hug me. 

Merle launched into her arms. Their arms tightened almost painfully around her waist. They had gained muscle in the time that they had been separated. Their grip threatened to crush her ribs, but she didn’t seem to care.

Sabrina’s arms went around them. A single tear slipped past her defences and down her cheek. She seemed astonished at her own reaction. Noire knew that she had missed the child intensely, but that she convinced herself that she did not. Noire tried not to be jealous of the fact that Merle had gone to _her_ and not Noire or Blanche. Merle had been attached to Sabrina in a different way than the others. That didn’t mean they loved the others less. So Noire beat the jealousy back ruthlessly, and looked up and into Magpie’s eyes.

They were leaning against the door frame with their arms crossed, relaxed in the manner of a Persian that was too lazy to pounce at the moment, but would explode into motion with the right motivation. There was a dangerous gleam in their eyes that dared them to try and take _Magpie’s_ baby.

But Merle was Noire’s baby too. And Blanche’s. And Sabrina’s.

It took all of Noire’s willpower not to snatch Merle up and run. Blanche and Sabrina would cover them, Noire knew. What stopped them was that Merle would fight . They wouldn’t want to go. And Noire didn’t want to burn any bridges with Magpie (and Sparrow), no matter how angry they were with their siblings.

“You look well,” Magpie said, as if they hadn’t kidnapped a child, dragged them an ocean away and kept them hidden for months. Their gaze shifted to the others in turn. “Blanche, Madame Sabrina,” they said with a polite nod to each. “What brings you here?”

Noire sputtered with outrage but Blanche stepped forward, hands balled by their sides. “Surely you didn’t believe that we would not search for Merle until we found them?” they hissed, glaring at Magpie. Blanche had been just as hurt by Sparrow and Magpie’s betrayal as they had been by Merle’s defection. “That we would just abandon them? They-”

“Well!” Magpie cut Blanche off, bouncing up and clapping their hands. “It’s not like I wasn’t expecting you to show up eventually. But you have great timing. Merle, let go of Mme. Sabrina so that we can escort our guests inside.”

Blanche, who was prepared for a fight, wavered in confusion. “You’re... inviting us in?” they asked.

“I thought you hated us?” Noire added, having found their voice.

Magpie blinked and tilted their head. “Hate you? No, I do not,” they said. “Why would I? Because of Merle?” At the others’ stares, Magpie sighed. “I wanted Merle back. It was nothing against _you_. Now, come inside. We have a lot to talk about.”

Merle untangled themself from Sabrina and patted her hand. Their small face was smeared with tears, which made both Blanche and Noire want to gather them close and wipe the tears away, but Merle had already returned to Magpie’s side. Merle reached for Magpie’s hand and held it, gazing up at them.

“Are you going to ask them to fight with us?” they asked.

“Yes, Baby Bird, that’s precisely what I’m going to do.” Noire saw Blanche flinch out of the corner of their eye when Magpie punctuated the statement by bending down to give Merle a swift kiss on top of their head. “Go gather the others, will you? I’m sure your friends will still be here when you get back,” they added when Merle hesitated, glancing over their shoulder at the group on the doorstep.

Merle nodded and padded up the steps.

Magpie waited, but the group didn’t move. Magpie sighed. “I’m not going to _do_ anything to you, but if you just stand here on the doorstep, my mother’s patients will get curious,” they said. “Please come inside. I can make tea or coffee and we can talk.”

‘Mother’?

Noire and Sabrina were reluctant to enter the building - too many missions with Team Rocket, too much expectation of an ambush - but Blanche stared hard at Magpie and then stepped past them into the building. Noire jerked, horrified that their twin (could they even still think of themselves as twins?) was stepping into hostile territory. They darted up the stairs after Blanche.

Behind them, they heard Sabrina sigh. “If you hurt them, you’ll regret it,” she warned Magpie.

“Of course,” Magpie said. The door closed and multiple locks clicked into place as the clack of Sabrina’s heels followed Noire up the narrow stairs.

The stairs opened up into a tidy sitting area. This place had clearly been built with apartments on the upper levels, with this as the communal landing. However, dividing walls had been ripped out and the area renovated to make it a two-floor single family dwelling. It was big, but cozy and very lived in. Merle was nowhere in sight, but Sparrow was sitting on the couch laying out some papers.

Sparrow looked up when the group entered the room. Their eyes brightened when they saw Noire and Blanche, but their smile was shy as they stood up. “Hi!” Sparrow said. They came around the couch and gave Blanche a tentative hug. “I missed you!”

Blanche, who had been readying themself to tell Sparrow off for taking Merle, deflated and looked like they weren’t sure what to do now.

“Sparrow, I’m not sure Blanche wants hugs. I told you they’d be mad, remember?” Magpie asked.

“Why would they be mad?” Sparrow asked, baffled.

“You took Merle,” Blanche said, managing to be angry after all.

Sparrow pulled back a little, but that left them uncomfortably close to Blanche’s face. They were still confused. “But Merle is ours,” Sparrow protested.

Blanche opened their mouth to snap back, but Magpie shook their head. They looked fond, but also exasperated. “Like I told you, they think that fact is up for debate.”

“But it’s not.” Sparrow released Blanche and moved in to hug Noire, who debated whether to hug Sparrow or punch them in the face. Sparrow latched on before Noire could decide. And once Sparrow was attached, Noire realized that they would have a hell of a time dislodging Sparrow. Those metal arms were _strong._

“Maggie! Merle says we have guests!” A chipper voice said. Its owner bounced down the other flight of stairs, and everyone stared.

It was another clone, older than Merle. Noire, in the rational part of their brain that hadn’t been ground to a halt by shock, guessed they were between fifteen and sixteen years old. Their hair had been dyed with streaks of pastel pink and blue, with some streaks of pale white left to thread through the brighter colours. There was a few inches of white at the roots, indicating that it had been a while since they had last dyed it. The multicoloured mess had been curled and pulled up in two high partial-ponytails and secured with about five hundred hair clips.

The clothes were... confusing. Butter yellow pants rolled up at the cuffs with a myriad of key chains attached to a belt loop, mismatched pink socks, and a blue Hello Skitty shirt under a massive unzipped pink hoodie with about seven pins tacked on.

The owner continued to bounce until they reached Magpie’s side. They glanced curiously at Sabrina before smiling up at Blanche and Noire. “Hi! I’m Ciel.”

“You’re... what?” Noire said, stuck dumb.

“Ciel! Sixteen years old. One of four surviving clones from the XS batch,” Ciel said. They were still smiling. And still bouncing on the balls of their feet. “You must be Blanche,” Ciel said, turning to Blanche, who was frozen with astonishment. Ciel tugged on the lapel of Blanche's jacket. “Merle said you like blue. And the red one is Noire. Right? Oh, want some gum?”

Ciel began digging through the massive pockets of their hoodie. Not finding gum, they searched their pants. Smiling, they pulled a pack of gum from their back pocket and offered it to Noire. Noire took it on reflex.

“I... four? What?” Noire stammered, clutching the gum in one hand like it was the only thing anchoring them to reality.

Ciel held up four fingers. “Clones. Four survivors, from our batch. Six in total, I suppose, counting yours and ours. Oh, here comes Soleil now! They're one of us clones, too. Soleil, come say hi to Noire! And Blanche.” 

It was obvious that Blanche’s name had been added as an afterthought. Blanche flinched.

Soleil came down the stairs at a more sedate pace. In fact, they were moving sluggishly, as though their limbs were weighted down. Even without Ciel saying, it was obvious that this was another clone. The resemblance to Noire was striking. Their bright orange hoodie accentuated the pallor of their cheeks, which were thin. They didn’t look well.

Soleil barely glanced at Noire and Blanche, before making a Beedrill-line for Magpie. “Are we going soon?” they demanded. There was a desperate edge to their voice that dragged Noire’s attention off of Ciel.

Magpie’s voice was gentle. “Not yet Soleil. But soon.”

“But Lune’s waiting! We have to go get them,” Soleil protested, grabbing Magpie’s shoulders. In an instant, Sparrow was there, pulling Soleil’s fingers off Magpie. Soleil didn’t resist, but didn’t break eye contact with Magpie.

“We know where they are now. We’re putting together a rescue mission. Just be patient a little longer, okay? We can’t help them if we’re hasty.” Magpie said, tucking Soleil into their arms and stroking their hair.

It was hard for Noire and Blanche to focus on this conversation, though, because Ciel was still talking. “So you’re, like, a Team Rocket Executive, right?” they were saying to Sabrina. “You and Noire?” At Sabrina’s nod of confirmation, Ciel smiled. “Cool, cool. You’re kinda different than I expected, yanno?”

“How so?” Noire asked. They were straining to hear the rest of Magpie and Soleil’s conversation, but Ciel was not quiet. Going by appearance alone, Magpie seemed to be trying to console Soleil.

“Merle talked about you like you’re softer,” Ciel said. 

Suddenly furious, Soleil turned on Ciel. “Ciel! Now isn’t the time!” Soleil wrenched out of Magpie's arms and stomped over. “Aren’t you worried about Étoile?”

Stung by the venom in the words, Ciel’s face fell. “Of course I am,” they told Soleil. “I’m just different from you.” And if that wasn’t a weird thing to hear one clone say to another, Noire didn’t know what was.

Soleil turned away and stomped over to the couch. They flung themself onto the cushions, arms crossed over their chest. There were tears in their eyes, but not on their cheeks. 

Ciel stood still for a moment, then sighed and broke away from Blanche and Noire to sit next to Soleil, who turned away from them when they started speaking.

“I think you should explain to us what’s going on,” Sabrina said. She nodded to the papers on the table, the ones that Sparrow had been looking at earlier, and she wasn’t happy. Noire took a closer look, and their stomach dropped.

Among the papers was a map of Orre.


	2. Chapter 2

“So you’re like, our mom, right? Or a dad? What do you call a nonbinary parent?” Ciel wondered out loud. Soleil had wrapped their arms around themself and drawn their knees up and was staring out the window, pretending the others didn’t exist. Ciel’s attempts to comfort them hadn’t put a dent in Soleil’s distress, so Ciel had given up and was back to talking Noire’s ear off. “Whatever, doesn’t matter. Is it weird for you? It’s kinda weird for me. Like, I never thought I’d see you in person, y’know? And you’re like, a _legend_. It’s hella weird. Soleil? It’s weird, right? _Sol!_ ”

Soleil sent Ciel a withering look that Noire related to on a fundamental level, before turning back to the window.

Ciel nodded as though this were confirmation of Soleil’s agreement. Even sitting down, they didn’t seem to stop bouncing. “I wonder what’s taking Merle and Alice so long,” Ciel continued, twisting one of their colourful curls around their finger. “This place is only so big. Think she’s pooping? Must be.”

Noire was still holding the kid’s freaking gum, since Ciel hadn’t left a gap in their monologue long enough for Noire to attempt to return it. As though realizing that Ciel never would, Blanche snatched the package of gum from Noire’s hands and tossed it onto Ciel’s lap. Ciel’s hands seemed to find it without conscious thought and stuff it into one of their many pockets.

Magpie leaned over the back of the couch and placed their hands on Ciel’s shoulders. They blew gently in Ciel’s ear, making the kid flinch and putting a halt to the torrent of words. “Ciel. Breathe,” Magpie said in the gentle voice Noire had only ever heard them use with Merle. “I understand that you’re nervous. But you’re dominating the conversation.”

Ciel nodded and fell silent, to Noire's relief.

“I’m still waiting for an explanation, Magpie,” Sabrina said. While Ciel chattered, she had taken a seat on the opposite couch to peruse the papers on the coffee table. She held up one of the maps that had a location in the Orre desert marked in red. “According to Team Rocket’s intelligence, we suspect that there is a Cipher outpost near this location. From what I’m seeing here, you agree. I thought you wanted to avoid involvement with Cipher?”

Sparrow returned from the kitchen with a tray of cookies and juice and set it on the table next to the papers while Sabrina and Magpie stared at each other. Magpie sighed and ruffled their own hair, then sat on the arm of the couch next to Ciel. Sparrow offered them a cookie, which Magpie accepted but didn’t eat right away.

“This is different,” Magpie said. “This is a rescue mission.”

Blanche glanced at Soleil, whose jaw had tightened. “To rescue Lune and Étoile?” Blanche asked, remembering what Soleil had said earlier. “Are they the last two clones?”

“Yep,” Sparrow said. They sat cross-legged on the floor and motioned for Blanche to sit next to them. But Blanche wanted to stand, so Noire took that spot instead. Sparrow gave them a cookie, which was crunchy and sweet when Noire bit into it. “Lune and Étoile were captured at the same time Merle was.”

“It’s taken a while to find them, then,” Noire commented, their heart sinking. That meant Cipher had had possession of the two clones for months. Noire hated to think what they must have been through during that time.

Soleil muffled a sob and buried their face in their arms. Ciel’s arm went around their shoulders, and they frowned at Noire. “We’ve been looking!” Ciel said, a defensive edge to their voice. “We don’t have a lot of resources, but we’ve done our best!”

“Noire didn’t meant it as a criticism, you two. Settle down,” Magpie said.

Before the conversation could go further, footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs. “Sorry we’re late! I had to get changed.” Crap. Not another cheerful person. Please don’t be a chatterbox. Noire didn’t think they could stand another one.

A young woman flitted into the room, laughter in her eyes. She had a round, smiling face and a chubby build. Her hair was long and wavy, the colour of the sky visible through the window. She looked familiar, but Noire couldn’t place her. Not until she dropped down behind Sparrow and wrapped her arms around them, resting her head on Sparrow’s shoulder, and Noire had to lean away to avoid getting a mouthful of hair.

Wait...

Arceus damn it. They recognized that hair.

“You-” Noire said, gaping at her. She tilted her head on Sparrow’s shoulder to smile at Noire, a rueful expression in her brown eyes.

“ _Salut!_ Are you Noire? Sorry I didn’t say hi last time we saw each other,” the woman said.

“You’re the girl from the ice cream parlour,” Noire said, shaking with sudden fury as they pieced it together. “The day Magpie and Sparrow disappeared with Merle.” Noire remembered overhearing the whispered conversation in Merle’s room, the vague references to ‘her’. This was ‘her.’

Unlike Magpie, she at least had the decency to look apologetic, even if it was in the form of an apologetic smile.

One of Sparrow’s gloved hands came up to touch the side of her face and they frowned at Noire, clearly protective. “This is Alice. She’s my wife,” Sparrow said, delivering another shock to Noire’s system.

“Your-” Noire began, flabbergasted. Fuck. Merle had been so offended at the thought of someone flirting with Sparrow because they had a wife, and the whole time it had been Sparrow’s wife who had done the flirting.

“What?” Blanche seemed just as shocked as Noire, even though they had not been there that day. Noire had relayed the events that lead up to Merle’s disappearance for Blanche and Professor Willow enough times that they had wanted to punch the old man in the head, but it was different from actually being there.

“Yep! We’ve been married for two years now,” Alice said, catching Sparrow’s fingers and kissing them on the cheek. “In fact, it was only a few months before Merle joined the family.”

At the mention of Merle’s name, Noire became aware that the child had slunk into the room, head down, and settled near Magpie. Their hand reached out and their little fingers twisted into Magpie’s belt loop. They didn’t look at Noire or Blanche.

A lump rose in Noire’s throat, and they had to swallow hard. Even that didn’t clear it. Merle still had not spoken to Noire or Blanche - hadn’t even acknowledged them. Noire wanted to get up and go to them, but they were held in place by uncharacteristic insecurity. Merle had chosen to leave, and maybe they hadn’t missed Noire as much as Noire had hoped they would.

It seemed Blanche was braver. They had slipped behind Merle while Noire was distracted by Alice. Now Blanche placed a gentle hand on Merle’s shoulder, dropping it quickly when Merle flinched. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-” Blanche began, pain flaring across their face.

Before Blanche could step away, Merle snatched their hand. “Are you angry?” they blurted.

And the room was silent.

Noire glanced around. Magpie seemed content to perch on the arm of the couch and let the scene play out. Ciel was leaning against Soleil’s shoulder, and while they didn’t seem interested in what was happening, they were polite enough not to interrupt.

Blanche stared at the child helplessly, unsure how to reply. “A little,” they admitted when no one stepped in.

Merle flinched and dropped Blanche’s hand, stepping away. The carpet had claimed their gaze, and Noire felt some sympathy for their siblings as they floundered, though they did not intervene.

“Of course I’m upset. You left without a word! You could have said goodbye, at least,” Blanche said. Even though Merle wouldn’t look at them, Blanche kept looking at Merle, hoping to make eye contact.

Still looking down, Merle shook their head. “You would have stopped me. I wanted to be with Magpie! Magpie wouldn’t have stayed in Opal, so I had to go,” Merle retorted.

“You don’t know that-” Blanche argued.

“I’m a prismatic,” Merle said with finality. “For that I have value to the Go Program and Team Rocket. I know how it works. They would have wanted to keep me.”

The kid had a point, Noire thought with a heavy heart because they, too, knew how it worked. Both the Go Program and Team Rocket would have plans to study Merle’s abilities once they had settled in better and were stable. So few of Cipher’s prismatics had survived. Since Cipher intended them to be used as weapons, it was crucial to know as much about them as possible. Noire knew that, understood that, and yet... they didn’t like the thought of their small clones being forced to walk the same path they had walked.

Noire looked at Sabrina, who was sipping her drink, poised and relaxed as ever, though her shrewd eyes were fixed on Merle. She felt Noire’s gaze on her and looked over. Noire could see the confirmation of Merle’s suspicions in her face. Noire looked away.

“I didn’t leave the way I did because I dislike you,” Merle continued. “I don’t dislike you at all. But I needed to go, and I didn’t want Magpie and Sparrow to have to fight you. Or Noire.” Merle glanced in Noire’s direction for the first time, regret in their eyes. “It would have upset me if you had hurt each other. Especially if I were the reason for it.”

Noire hadn’t considered that. They glanced at Magpie, who was looking at Blanche and Merle. Magpie was a capable fighter. Noire wasn’t naive enough to think that the fact that Magpie had jumped in front of a bullet to save Noire’s life meant anything. Magpie would absolutely have fought to be able to take Merle home with them, so Merle had opted to disappear with them instead.

Blanche had to concede. “I missed you,” they said.

The defensiveness and defiance in Merle’s face softened and they launched themself into Blanche’s arms. “I missed you too!” they said, their voice muffled by Blanche’s chest. Blanche’s arms went around them, at first in surprise, but then they held on tighter. “So, so much. I’m happy that you came for me, even if I don’t want to go with you.”

And _that_ stung, but it was a problem for later. Alice’s appearance had derailed the conversation entirely.

Dismissing the reconciliation between Blanche and Merle, Noire turned to Magpie. “So you’re going to attack this outpost?” they asked, tapping a nail tipped with black polish on the marking on the map.

“Yes, that’s the plan,” Magpie said, scooting to the edge of the couch to shuffle the papers on the table. “Here, see? The desert doesn’t offer much cover, but if we station ourselves behind this dune here, it should buy us some time before we’re detected - depending on what type of surveillance equipment they have, of course.” Magpie displayed a handful of pictures of a large building in the Orre desert. True to their word, it was neither as well hidden nor as high tech as the other Cipher labs Noire had seen.

“Castor says it’s an outpost, not a proper lab, so it has less security and a skeleton staff,” Alice supplied. 

Magpie nodded. “We should be able to infiltrate, get Étoile and Lune out, and withdraw as long as we hit fast and hard,” they said.

“You don’t intend to destroy the outpost?” Sabrina asked.

“No. While we want our family safe, we don’t want to incite retaliation from Cipher,” Magpie confirmed.

“You’re going in with just the few of you?” Uneasy, Noire looked around. Including Alice but excluding Merle, there were only five of them. Noire didn’t like their chances.

“We’re not all here. There’s also Ryder, Vincent, Castor, and Theo... Mom might come as well, but we’re not sure,” Sparrow said, looking to Magpie for confirmation.

“I think she should come. We don’t know what kind of shape Lune and Étoile will be in. I want a doctor on hand,” Magpie said. “She just hates the idea of leaving the clinic.”

That still wasn’t a large force. What if there were more guards than they predicted? Noire didn’t like it. Too risky, especially when it came to Cipher. While they were sure Magpie had skills, it was obvious that Magpie wasn’t used to putting together a squad and leading a mission. Which were skills that Noire had.

Sabrina sent them a warning look, but Noire ignored her. “I’ll help,” they said, causing the others to look at them in surprise and Sabrina to look exasperated. What, had they all expected Noire to just leave it be? These were their _clones_. It wasn’t Noire’s choice or fault that they existed, but Noire still felt some responsibility for them. And family was family. Right?

Magpie seemed especially surprised. They were staring at Noire, their brows furrowed. “Are you sure?” Magpie asked. “We’d be grateful for any help, of course. But it will be dangerous.”

As if Noire didn’t face danger every day! Noire could have laughed. They were a Team Rocket executive, and their Cipher abilities meant that they were often sent to the front lines. Sure, their first few missions had been disastrous due to their own stubbornness, but they had come into their own since then.

And Amelie would help if Noire asked them, with or without Sabrina’s approval.

Noire glanced at Sabrina out of the corner of their eye. She was pinching the bridge of her nose, as was her habit when she was annoyed. “Fine. I can get approval for a small squad to be deployed to Orre,” she grumbled. Noire knew it was because of them. They were an important investment for Team Rocket. And while the thought held some bitterness, at least Team Rocket’s unwillingness to lose them came in handy at times like these.

“I’ll go as well,” Blanche said. It seemed to Noire as though Blanche decided it as they said it. Blanche was still holding on to Merle, and ran an almost absent hand through the child’s hair. Gone were the days when Noire and Blanche knew each other well enough to read each other’s thoughts, but Noire could guess what Blanche was thinking in this instance. Blanche was thinking about Merle, and Grisaille by extension. About how they would feel if Blanche knowingly abandoned clones like them without doing anything to help.

“I’ll have to call Professor Willow,” Blanche added with a frown, and Noire’s mood soured. Of course Blanche would feel compelled to ask their boss’ permission. And here Noire had thought they were doing something of their own initiative for once. “I’m not sure if he will commit the Go Program to a simple rescue, but I will ask.”

“I appreciate that. Thank you,” Magpie said, looking with surprise between Blanche and Noire. They really hadn’t expected help, Noire realized. This was someone who was used to dealing with their problems themself, without outside involvement. Well, Noire thought as Blanche excused themself and untangled from Merle to go make their phone call. Magpie was going to have to get used to it. Because if what Magpie had heard was true, the four of them had been in the womb together. Or an artificial womb, depending on how exactly they had been born, but it hardly mattered. Magpie and Sparrow were Noire’s blood just as much as Blanche was, and that gave Noire licence to interfere in their lives.

And they were going to get their clones to safety.


	3. Chapter 3

They assembled their troops in the Orre desert. According to the data they had, they were far enough away not to be picked up by Cipher’s sensors, but the flat terrain meant everyone was a little on edge. The outpost had shown no signs of life. In fact, it looked more like an abandoned warehouse in the remains of a ghost town than anything. The windows were boarded up or gaping and dark. There was no movement in or around the building. Noire would almost have bought into the illusion of desolation, except that they were well trained and knew what to look for. So they saw the red lights, barely larger than pinpricks, that indicated security cameras and motion sensors.

Abandoned, their ass. Magpie’s intel was right: _Something_ was here.

In the end, Professor Willow agreed to send support for the raid on the Cipher outpost, on the condition that the outpost was destroyed completely. Magpie didn’t like that. They argued that it was better to go in and out quickly, taking only Étoile and Lune. Magpie was reluctant to draw more of Cipher’s ire than was necessary to save their siblings. However, Sabrina threw her lot in with Professor Willow. Noire could tell Magpie didn’t like being overruled, but they didn’t complain after it became clear the Professor Willow and Sabrina weren’t going to change their minds. As for Noire, well, it was no secret that they considered Cipher a blight on the earth. The more of the organization they got to destroy, in person and with their own hands, the better.

The weird mix of Rocket operatives, Team Go experts (which now included Spark and that Candela bitch, and Noire was not happy about it), and whatever Magpie’s ragtag team comprised of, had set up in tents and surveillance vans behind a stand of enormous cacti. Apparently Ciel was some kind of computer wizard, because they had not only been allowed to come along on this mission, but they had been set up in the back of a van with a wall of screens and keyboards, blinking lights and wires. Noire was no slouch when it came to tech, but they couldn’t make sense of a damn thing in there, but Ciel settled in and made themself comfortable, tapping the keys and snapping their gum. 

Noire watched them for a moment, then gave up on trying to decipher the strange numbers and symbols that darted across their screen. Maybe Blanche could make sense of that techno-nonsense, but it was above Noire’s pay grade.

Speaking of Blanche, where had they wandered off to?

Noire looked around. There was Ryder, who Noire suspected was the “mountain of a man” that had beaten up Sabrina’s agents. He was standing with Vincent, Sparrow and Alice. Ryder and Alice each had a hand on one of Sparrow’s arms as they talked. Noire could have joined the group, but the massive scarring on Ryder’s face and Vincent’s physical deformities made them uncomfortable, so they waved at Sparrow and continued on. Noire had barely been introduced to the others anyway.

Noire found Blanche standing with Spark, Agent Abril, and Agent Axel. And Blanche did not look impressed.

Ambling up to the group, Noire had to assume that Blanche’s expression was due to being in the company of members of Team Rocket. They bumped against Blanche’s shoulder both to express affection and to annoy Blanche. Given the poisonous look Blanche sent them, Noire succeeded. Anything to lighten the goddamn mood. Noire’s stomach was twisting in greasy knots being so close to Cipher and yet standing inactive. They imagined that Blanche felt the same way.

Blanche continued to frown at Noire, arms crossed, but leaned in and whispered. “Who are these people? The woman keeps talking to me as though I should know who she is.”

With remarkable self-control, Noire managed not to laugh. “Agent Axel and Agent Abril, of Team Rocket,” replied Noire, though not as quietly as Blanche had. Loud enough that Abril sent them an amused glance while she answered Spark’s questions. “They were in on the mission where we met Magpie and Sparrow.”

Recognition brightened Blanche’s eyes, but they merely nodded and said, “Oh.”

After that, things finally got a move on. About time, Noire thought. A gruff soldier-like man named Castor seemed to be in charge, but Noire had no idea who he was or where he’d come from. He had dark weather-beaten skin and cropped curly hair gone grey with age. They sent a questioning look at Sabrina, but she shrugged at them. Noire frowned. If Sabrina didn’t know, then he couldn’t be one of theirs. Should they even be following his lead?

As everyone dispersed into their assigned teams for the mission, Noire caught up with Magpie. Magpie was talking to Vincent, so Noire grabbed their arm and pulled them away mid-sentence for a private word. “Hey. Who’s this Castor guy?” Noire asked.

Magpie wasn’t pleased at being hauled away from their conversation. They flicked one of their Dutch braids back over their shoulder in an impatient gesture and seemed to instantly find Castor in the crowd. “Castor? He’s a retired Unovan soldier. I know him well. He’s quite capable,” Magpie said. Their gaze returned to Noire. “Does that reassure you?”

“Yeah. Thanks,” Noire said. They let go of Magpie’s arm.

“Hey, Maggie!” Ciel called. “I’m in!”

Magpie and Noire both turned in the direction of Ciel’s voice. Ciel was hanging out of the back of the van, waving to them and bouncing on the balls of their feet. Magpie moved in their direction. “You got into the system?” they asked.

“Yeah!” Ciel confirmed, eyes shining. They had tried to dress more somberly for the occasion, but in their mind head-to-toe lavender and grey seemed to fit the bill. Even with fake flowers in their pigtails and Galarian Ponyta on their overalls. Noire didn’t understand this kid.

Ciel pulled back into the depths of the van and Magpie climbed in after them, with Noire bringing up the rear. Ciel dropped back into their chair and pointed to the screen, where a blueprint of the outpost had been brought up. “See, this is the layout,” Ciel explained. They tapped a few keys, and suddenly the blueprint was three dimensional, with each room marked with a string of alphanumeric characters. Ciel tapped one with a polished nail. “And here’s Lune.”

Noire leaned over the back of Ciel’s chair to see better. They weren’t sure how Ciel knew that this was Lune - the string of characters didn’t seem to be a Cipher serial number - but Magpie was nodding. “And Étoile?”

Ciel tapped more keys, and brought up another room. “Here.”

Magpie blew out a breath. “They’re on opposite ends of the facility,” Magpie said. “That’ll make this more difficult.”

“But they’re both registered in the system as alive,” Ciel said. “That’s good. We weren’t sure they would be.”

“Yeah. Let’s keep it that way.” Magpie straightened, hands on their hips. “Can you print that off? I’ll need to brief the recovery team.”

“Sure thing,” Ciel said. They hit print, and the printer behind them began to hum. “Is three copies okay?”

“Yeah. I imagine most of us can memorize it. Thanks.” Magpie accepted the sheets and hopped back out into the harsh sunlight.

To Noire’s dismay, they weren’t assigned to a group with Blanche. Instead they were with Amelie, Magpie, and Castor, as well as a handful of others whose names Noire didn’t bother to remember. They wished their own squad was here, but at least they had Amelie. Amelie was worth ten regular grunts anyway.

Noire’s team was assigned the goal of recovering Lune and getting them out. Noire was a bit miffed - they wanted to smash things! But Candela and Sparrow were on the team whose role was to destroy the facility, and Noire was just as happy not to be with either of them.

Noire still pissed at Sparrow and Magpie.

Blanche, Spark, Vincent, and Ryder would be going deeper into the facility to recover Étoile. Noire didn’t think it was right to give Blanche the more difficult, dangerous job, but Castor was insistent that they needed to get Lune out fast. Étoile, it seemed, could wait a bit longer.

“You got the route memorized?” Castor asked. The other three nodded. Castor and Amelie both had their weapons drawn already. Castor busted through the door and the others followed, fanning out to keep an eye out for enemies. The smash-it team would give them time to get going, and then get started wrecking shit.

Noire was surprised that no alarms went off as they moved through the first twenty feet, which was dilapidated and dirty enough discourage any randos who managed to make it this far. There was a wooden door up ahead that looked flimsy, but when Noire ran their hands over it, they found that only the outer layer was wood. Under that thin veneer was solid steel with heavy duty locks.

It took a couple minutes for Noire and Castor to break through while Magpie and Amelie stood guard.

“No guards yet,” Noire murmured to Amelie as they advanced into the bright, sterile hallways that Noire was familiar with. The stagnant recycled air made the hair on the back of their neck stand up and brought a sour taste to the back of their throat, but they tried not to let it show.

“Ciel will have disabled the alarm systems,” Magpie whispered back. “To give us some time.”

Noire raised their eyebrows. They hadn’t realized that Ciel had hacked so deep. So the kid had a brain in their head despite looking and talking like a shallow airhead.

They managed to make it most of the way without encountering anyone. Those they did encounter they took care of quickly and quietly.

“Should be up ahead and to the left,” Castor murmured. Just then, there was a loud _boom_ and sirens began to screech. Castor winced. “Either we’re behind schedule, or the others are overzealous.”

“Leader Candela is on the wrecking team. She’s not known for her patience,” Amelie said.

They increased their speed to a half trot, and Noire used their infiltration skills to break through the electronic keypad that secured the door of Lune’s cell.

The cell was small and narrow, with only room for a narrow bed and a bucket that served as a toilet. The occupant of the bed did not move as Castor moved past Noire into the room.

Noire froze in the doorway. Would it ever stop being brutal, they wondered, to see someone with Blanche’s face suffer so much?

Lune’s face was pallid, and their white hair was dark with sweat. Cipher’s version of a hospital gown hung off their gaunt body so that Noire could see their collarbones jut out. Their closed eyelids looked like dark purple bruises, and they didn’t open their eyes until Castor eased his arms under their body and picked them up.

Lune made no sound, but Noire could see recognition in their eyes as they stared up at Castor. Two tears trailed from their eyes, but that appeared to be all they had energy for as no sound came from their cracked lips when they attempted to speak.

But Castor understood.

“Soleil is fine. They’re waiting outside,” he said. He tucked their fragile body against him as Lune’s eyes slipped shut.

The racket from the intruder alarms was almost deafening. They had to get out of here, fast, but Castor paused outside the cell for Magpie to brush a strand of hair out of Lune’s face with a single finger. Magpie whispered something impossible for Noire to hear. From the pain in Magpie’s face, Noire guessed it was an apology.

Because Castor and Magpie’s attention had shifted to the bundle in Castor’s arms, Noire took charge of getting the group back out. There were more people in the halls now that the alarms were going, but most were non-combatants who fled at the sight of them. Candela’s group hadn’t made it this far into the lab yet, and most of the actual guards were probably fighting them. 

Since the staff of this facility was small, they got out with Noire and Amelie only having to fire a couple of warning shots. Once outside, Magpie made a beeline to the van that had been set up as a makeshift hospital.

“ _Maman!_ We’re bringing Lune in!” Magpie announced, opening the doors. There was a shriek, and Magpie had to dive out of the way as Soleil tumbled out. Well, that answered the question of where they were, which Noire hadn’t thought to wonder until now.

“Lune!” Soleil gasped out on seeing their sibling, pale and frail in Castor’s arms. They stumbled forward and clasped one of Lune’s limp hands in theirs, sobbing. “I’m so sorry, Lune. I’m so-”

“Soleil! For goodness sake, let Castor bring Lune up so I can get to work!” Dr. Asako Matsumoto, Magpie and Sparrow’s foster mother, poked her head out of the back of the makeshift ambulance in exasperation. “You can cry over them when I’m finished.”

Soleil didn’t seem able to let go of Lune, so Magpie pulled them off and held Soleil’s shoulders as Castor clamboured into the back of the van and settled Lune on a cot. Dr. Matsumoto tsked as she rubbed an antiseptic pad over their inner elbow to prepare it for an IV. “They’re so dehydrated. This is gonna be tricky,” she muttered.

Noire hastily retreated from the van. They didn’t want to watch. Just the thought made their stomach roll.

Magpie let go of Soleil and came to join Noire. The second their hands dropped from Soleil’s shoulders, Soleil was climbing back into the van to Lune’s side. Even from this distance, Noire could hear them crying.

“Those two are close, huh?” Noire commented to Magpie, just for something to say.

“Yeah, they’ve always been together.” Magpie’s words sent a stab into Noire’s heart. They knew what it was like to be that close. Magpie was frowning. From this angle they couldn’t see through the rear doors of the van, but Magpie was watching it regardless. “I hope Lune survives this. It will destroy Soleil if they don’t.”

Lune was safe now. Noire wanted to point out that if they’d survived this long with Cipher, Lune could only go up from here. But something about Lune’s fragility made them bite their tongue.

Castor came up and clapped Magpie on the shoulder. “I’m gonna go check on Group 2’s progress with Étoile,” he said. “Good work, you two.” And to Noire’s surprise, he clapped their shoulder as well before wandering off. Noire sent Magpie a baffled look, but they just smiled and shrugged.

“Who _is_ he?” Noire wanted to know.

“Ciel and Étoile’s foster father,” Magpie said.

Oh. 

_Oh_.

That’s why he was here.


	4. Chapter 4

It was chaos. Blanche’s group had followed a minute behind Noire’s, giving them time to get through the initial blocks, and then split off in the opposite direction. Blanche was not pleased to be going deep into hostile territory with strangers. Magpie may have vouched for Vincent and Ryder, but Blanche was far from convinced that the men’s skills would meet their standards. At least they had Spark, though Blanche wasn’t convinced that _he_ would be reliable either. At least they could count on him for brute strength if nothing else.

The first stretch was quiet. There was almost nobody in the halls, though Spark got to fry a scientist and Vincent raked his thick black claws across the throat of the other Cipher agent who came to investigate the death of the first. Blanche wrapped their irritation around themself as a protective cloak to stave off the memories. The smells. The specific brand of locks on the cells. The _cells_.

Panic clawed up their throat. They felt Articuno stir. The blood in their veins chilled. Blanche tried to push it back. They valued control, and they would not lose it due to their childhood trauma.

And then pandemonium broke out.

An explosion rang out behind them, evidence that Candela had gotten to work. A beat later, the access lights on the cells on each side of the hallway turned from red to green. The doors slicked open. Most cells were empty, but a few startled experiments stared at them as they passed, and the braver ones bolted out, impeding the group’s progress.

“Woah!” Spark said, leaping backwards as a frightened child darted into the hall in front of him. The child skidded on the polished floors on bare feet, eyes huge with terror as they stared up at him. The child babbled apologies in French as they backpedalled, and was scooped up by Ryder. The child whimpered, then went still in his hold, accepting their fate.

Blanche’s heart twisted. The lack of fight in this generation of Cipher experiments was appalling, but not the children’s fault.

“What is going on?” Blanche demanded of Ryder, since they had already learned that they could not expect intelligible speech from Vincent. His fangs got in the way.

Ryder cuddled the child against his chest with surprising tenderness, rubbing their back with one of his enormous hands. He frowned at Blanche, concerned. “Not sure. We’d better keep moving.”

The halls filled with smoke, so Blanche took Ryder’s suggestion and proceeded down the hallway, following the image in their mind of the map Ciel provided.

Spark followed behind Blanche as their memory was better, and Vincent fell into position behind Ryder so that the child was in the middle and protected.

It didn’t occur to any of them to leave the child behind.

Oh no.

If Blanche wasn’t quite mistaken, that was the door to Étoile’s cell up ahead. The door was ajar, like all the others.

Blanche poked their head in and wasn’t surprised to find the cell empty.

A clone of Noire would not pass up an opportunity to escape.

How would they find Étoile?

Spark poked his head around Blanche, and winced. “Ah. Looks like things just got complicated,” he said upon noting the empty bed.

Vincent slipped around both of them and pressed a misshapen hand to the bed. His last three fingers were normal, but the first two were thick black claws. According to Magpie, Cipher had combined human DNA with Zangoose DNA in order to create him.

Vincent nodded and turned to Blanche. He spoke, but Blanche couldn’t understand. “What?” they asked, unable to keep their annoyance from their voice. This was a disaster. Where was Étoile?

“He says the bed’s still warm,” Ryder called from behind them. How he could understand that, Blanche didn’t know.

Now they had to decide what to do. Blanche turned to the others, intending to come up with a plan, but Ryder’s communicator beeped. Ryder shifted the child to one arm and pulled his communicator free with the opposite hand.

“Ryder here,” he said, and stopped to listen.

Blanche wanted to snap with impatience, but they waited. “Yeah, we’re at Étoile’s cell, but they’re not in it... Did they now? Why’d they do that? ....Okay, gotcha. Lemme know if Ciel spots Étoile on the cams.”

“Well?” Blanche demanded the second Ryder broke connection. Ryder hadn’t even offered to let Blanche ask any questions, which infuriated them. Were they not the head of this search team?

“Ciel’s the one who unlocked the cells. They figured out how to do it remotely,” Ryder explained.

Blanche’s jaw dropped. “What? Why would they do that?”

“Ciel was worried that once the alarm sounded, Cipher would figure out that Lune and Étoile were the targets of our operation and kill them,” Ryder replied. The bluntness of his tone shocked Blanche further. “Magpie’s gotten back with Lune, so they’re no longer in jeopardy. That leaves Étoile. Ciel wanted to give them a fighting chance, I guess.”

Well. Blanche blew out a breath. They understood Ciel’s concerns and appreciated their loyalty to Étoile, but it would have been nice if Ciel had consulted Blanche’s team before doing something that would complicate their mission.

There was no time to lose. If the bed was still warm as Vincent said, Étoile couldn’t have gone far. They would have to catch up.

“We didn’t pass them on the way here,” Spark pointed out. “They’re not heading for the closest exit.”

He was right. But where would they go?

Blanche puzzled it over. An idea came to them. They turned to Ryder. “Does Étoile have a pokemon team?” Surprised, Ryder nodded. “Ask if Ciel can find out where Cipher stores pokemon specimens in this facility.”

Comprehension lit Ryder’s eyes, and he pulled out his communicator to do just that. “Basement level,” he told Blanche when he hung up. “Stairs are that way.”

Spark butted in front of Blanche as they went down the stairs, and Blanche let him. If he needed to put his protective instincts to use, there was no harm in letting him go first.

But Blanche’s intuition was right. They found Étoile at the foot of the stairs.

The first sign of someone nearby was a wet, meaty sound. Blanche recognized a stab when they heard one, and this sound echoed up the stairwell, again and again. Spark came to an abrupt halt on the landing as Étoile came into view. They were hunched over the body of a scientist. Somehow they had acquired a medical scalpel, and they drove it into the scientist’s body over and over.

Étoile’s head snapped up. Their face was smeared with blood, and Blanche saw the muscles in Étoile’s bare arms and legs bunch as they prepared to attack. Just as fast, their body froze. Their gaze travelled from Spark to Blanche, and their head tilted to one side. “You’re not Mags,” Étoile said before any of the others could speak. “Who’re you?”

“I’m Blanche.” That was all they could stammer out. They stared. Ciel and Soleil were one thing. Blanche knew intellectually that they were clones. But neither of them acted in any way like Noire at that age. Ciel was too bubbly, and Soleil wept too much. But the look in Étoile’s eyes now was all Noire, all the way. It occurred to Blanche that Étoile might not know who they were by name. “I’m-”

“From Opal. I get it,” Étoile interrupted. They staggered to their feet and stepped over the dead scientist. The scalpel was still clutched in their bloody fist and the front of their hospital-type gown was stained red. Étoile’s foot caught on the scientist’s spread arm and they stumbled.

With inhuman speed, Spark was down the stairs and clasping Étoile’s arms to keep them from falling. Étoile blinked up at him, surprised. “Are you someone I should stab?” they asked, and now Blanche saw the exhaustion in their face and the thinness of their limbs. For how tough they seemed, this was a kid in rough shape.

“He’s my friend,” Blanche said, coming the rest of the way down the stairs.

“Yeah. So don’t stab him,” Ryder chimed in as he and Vincent followed.

“But I don’t like his face.” Étoile’s gaze tracked to Ryder and Vincent. They blinked once, then smiled. “Oh. Hi, guys. You doing all right?” They pulled away from Spark, pushing against his chest when he held on. They were unsteady on their feet, but insistent. “I’m good. I can do it.”

“Yeah, we’re good.”

“That kid?” Étoile asked, pointing to the one Ryder was holding.

“Didn’t want to leave them behind.

Étoile nodded. “Fair. Anyway, I gotta get something. You can tag along if you want.” They limped to the door into the basement, and Blanche noticed the bruises that mottled their legs. Some were the deep purple-black of fresh bruises, while others were the green and yellow of older ones. Their arms were also bruised, especially around the wrists and elbows.

Restraints. Blanche remembered the bite of the Cipher-issue restraints on their arms and ankles as Cipher performed experiments.

Blanche clamped down on the memory and followed Étoile’s lead down the hall. The area appeared to be deserted. The hall was dim, with only the occasional emergency light to illuminate the way.

“C’mon, kid, let me help you,” Spark said when Étoile lost their balance and careened off a wall.

Once again, Étoile brushed his hand off their arm. “Later, okay? I need to do this first.”

“I don’t hear anyone down here,” Ryder remarked as Étoile fiddled with a locked door.

“It’s mostly storage. No live experiments on this level,” Étoile replied without turning. “No _human_ experiments, that is.”

The door opened. Inside was shelf after shelf lined with pokeballs. There must have been hundreds of them. Étoile fumbled with the light switch, and cursed when the light came on and flickered out as another loud _boom_ came from overhead.

“Your friends are making life hard for me, y’know,” they grumbled, but squinted in the dark until Spark tapped their shoulder. When they looked back, Spark held out a flashlight. Étoile took it without thanks and scanned the shelves.

Étoile picked pokeballs from the shelves. To Blanche’s surprise, they didn’t stop at the regular mandated six pokemon team, but kept sorting through the pokemon. Was Blanche mistaken and they were here to steal from Cipher?

However, Étoile stopped at twelve pokemon and braced themself against the shelving as their legs started to give. “’Kay. You can carry me now,” they said. Spark scooped them up before Étoile could hit the floor. 

Étoile sighed and their eyes fluttered closed, but their arms held tight to the pokeballs clutched against their chest. “Thanks. Guess you’re handy to have around after all,” they mumbled to Spark.

Spark smiled. “I guess I am.”

* * *

Spark and Blanche brought Étoile to the medical van while the facility burned behind them. Vincent and Ryder peeled off to report to Magpie, who was apparently where their loyalty lay. Blanche pulled the back doors of the van open and stepped aside for Spark, who had their hands full with Étoile Étoile seemed to be dozing. Their eyes opened as Spark lifted them into the van though, and they looked around in confusion.

“Where...? Oh, hi Auntie,” Étoile said as they spotted Dr. Matsumoto, who was still working on Lune. “Soleil. And... wow, Lune’s a mess. Hey!” Étoile squirmed in protest as Spark set them down on the cot across from Lune. “I’m fine! Lemme up!” But they were unable to get out from under Spark’s restraining hand. “Hey! Soleil! C’mere a sec!”

Soleil turned their tearstained face away from Lune for perhaps the first time since they’d been reunited. They were glaring. “Be quiet, Étoile. You’ll wake Lune.”

The venom in their voice shocked Blanche, who paused in their examination of Lune, who looked so fragile. Blanche glanced between Soleil, who was still glowering, and Étoile, who rolled their eyes.

“I’m awake,” Lune said, voice a croak. As if to prove it, their eyes fluttered open. Even their eyes seemed somehow breakable. “Go see what Étoile needs, Soleil. They’re our sibling too.”

While they seemed inclined to protest, Soleil did what Lune said. “What?” they huffed, standing over Étoile with their hands on their hips and no sympathy for Étoile’s battered condition on their face. Spark sent Blanche a wide-eyed look. Relations between the clones seemed to be more complicated than they had thought.

But Étoile was sorting through the pokeballs tucked in a pouch they’d made by pulling up their gown. They held two out to Soleil, and continued their search when Soleil took them.

When Étoile had given Soleil six pokeballs, they slumped back on the cot. “Give those to Lune,” they ordered.

Lune burst into tears when Soleil placed the pokeballs on their chest. “Oh...” they breathed. Blanche was alarmed. Lune didn’t look like they could afford the moisture loss from tears. “My pokemon. Oh. _Thank you_ , Étoile.”

Étoile didn’t respond. They seemed to have fallen asleep now that they had completed their task. Dr. Matsumoto collected the pokeballs still cradled in Étoile’s arms and set them in a box for safekeeping. Then she pulled a blanket over them, clucking her tongue. “Poor thing. Thank you for getting them out of that horrible place,” she told Blanche and Spark. “I have to put an IV in, so if you want to bail, please do.” She smiled thinly at Blanche. “Noire did when I put Lune’s in.”

Blanche nodded and left. Time to check in with Candela whether her job was complete. If so, it was time to pull out. The patients needed to be taken to the hospital.


	5. Chapter 5

The outpost was reduced to a smouldering pile of wood and rubble. Ciel and Castor both stayed at their respective posts until they were given the All Clear that they were no longer needed. Then Ciel plunked themself cross-legged on the foot of Étoile’s cot and Castor hovered outside near the door because there was no room for him in the van.

Lune and Étoile had to be airlifted to the Team Rocket affiliated hospital in Orre. Aside from Dr. Matsumoto and the Rocket medics, only one extra person could fit in the helicopter. Soleil insisted that the space go to them. They had not left Lune’s side since Lune had been brought out of the Cipher outpost, and it was clear to everyone that they did not intend to. Soleil did not consult the other two clones, who may want to stay with Étoile just as badly as Soleil wanted to stay with Lune. 

Noire, standing nearby, was torn. On the one hand, Soleil was relatable. When they were young, Noire would have never allowed themself to be parted from Blanche if they were hurt. On the other hand, Lune was asleep and had not roused at all since receiving their pokemon from Étoile. Étoile, by comparison, was fitful and woke every few minutes to ask for Ciel, or Castor, or even for Merle, who was not here. The one who needed support most was Étoile. But when asked, they waved a hand and said whatever, Soleil can come. They’d see Ciel and Castor soon enough.

Ciel had been rubbing an absent hand up and down Étoile’s blanket-covered shin ever since they’d plopped between Étoile’s feet. When Étoile said that they didn’t need Ciel there, Ciel gave their leg a last pat. “I’ll get there with light speed. You won’t have time to miss me.”

But when Ciel climbed out of the van and stood back with Castor as Étoile and Lune were loaded into the helicopter, their worry became evident. Castor’s arm went around them. “Étoile will be okay,” Castor murmured to them, and Noire felt like an intruder.

Ciel leaned their head against Castor’s arm because they were too short to reach his shoulder. “But Papa, I promised I wouldn’t leave them alone again.” With their pep gone, they seemed smaller and _very_ young. Crap. Noire did _not_ ask for their protective instincts to activate.

“Soleil’s with them. They’ll be fine,” Noire interrupted, shoving their hands in their pockets as they approached.

When Ciel turned around with dry eyes, Noire was relieved. They weren’t sure what to do if the kid started bawling. “You can ride with me if you want,” Noire offered. They had known the kid mere days and already knew that quiet and subdued wasn’t their natural state.

Ciel smiled a small, strained smile. “Thanks for the offer, Noire, but I’m gonna go with Papa.” Castor’s hand rubbed Ciel’s head with surprising gentleness. “Maybe Magpie or Sparrow will need a ride though.”

In the end, Magpie ended up travelling with Noire and Blanche while Sparrow went with Vincent, Ryder, and a handful of others. When Noire expressed surprise because they weren’t used to seeing Magpie and Sparrow apart, Magpie just shrugged. “Ryder and Sparrow are buddies.”

Magpie then pulled out their phone. Catching Blanche’s look, Magpie offered a half-smile. “I promised to let Merle know as soon as everyone was out safely. They fret.”

And over the course of the phone call, it became apparent that Merle’s separation anxiety was worse with Magpie than it had ever been with Sabrina. They asked no less than ten times when Magpie expected to be home. And each time, Magpie gently explained that they weren’t sure. It depended on how soon Lune and Étoile could be moved to Coumarine City. Merle didn’t want them to abandon Étoile and Lune, right? The answer seemed to be no, but Merle wasn’t happy about it.

After they hung up, Magpie sighed. “My poor baby,” they murmured and leaned back in their seat.

* * *

It took two weeks before Lune stabilized enough to be transported out of the region. Étoile was ready before that, and started bombing around after only three days in the hospital, to their siblings’ chagrin. Magpie chased them down and herded them back into their hospital room, but Sparrow, Ryder, or Vincent would scoop them up and cart them back when they found Étoile.

Étoile yowled complaints as Ryder walked by with them draped over his shoulder. “Put me down! I’m _fine_. No, it’s boring! Papa, tell them I’m fine!”

Castor leveled his child with an exasperated look. “Get back to bed, Étoile.”

He was the only one Étoile would listen to. Pouting, they slid off Ryder’s shoulder and stomped back into their room.

Everyone was annoyed with Étoile long before two weeks was up. Everyone, that is, except Ciel, who seemed more relieved than bothered by Étoile’s refusal to remain on bed rest.

“It’s good that they’ve got so much spirit,” Ciel told Castor in Noire’s hearing. “I was really worried that Cipher would have broken them this time, you know? But they always bounce back. I’m so happy!”

Spark had refused to go back to Opal with Candela, and he stifled laughter as Magpie, ever gentle, herded Étoile back to their room once more. “Ya know, Noire, I think this is the first of your clones that actually _really_ resembles you,” he said. “Merle came close, but Étoile? Whole different ball game.”

Noire punched him in the arm, but they had to agree. Étoile even made the same disgusted face when they were annoyed. Étoile would recover.

Lune, though.

Lune was in rough shape.

They lay in bed, pale and still, drifting in and out of consciousness. Even when they were awake, they rarely made the effort to speak. The only sign that they were coherant was that they would look at the person who was speaking to them. Replying seemed to take too much effort for Lune.

Soleil could not be budged from Lune’s side for longer than the time it took to use the restroom. Such trivial matters as showering and sleeping in a bed were discarded, and they slept curled in the stiff visitor chair or sprawled out on the floor. The most Lune could do was squeeze Soleil’s fingers, which were wrapped around theirs near constantly. Each time Lune squeezed, Soleil’s face would melt in relief and they would smile. Lune would smile sleepily back, then drift off again.

Noire was worried about Lune.

But there were other problems.

Professor Willow arrived, and although arrangements had been made for Étoile and Lune to be transferred to Dr. Matsumoto’s clinic in Coumarine City, he was making a big stink about it.

Noire slipped into the room where Professor Willow, Sabrina, Dr. Matsumoto, Sparrow, Magpie, and Dr. Matsumoto’s wife Theo were gathered.

“I assure you, I am well-equipped to care for Lune and Étoile while they recover,” Dr. Matsumoto was saying in clipped tones. Noire didn’t know her well, but even they could see that she was well and truly pissed. This argument had been going on for a while.

Amelie edged into the room after them and elbowed Noire aside so that she’d have more space. Then she leaned against the wall, arms crossed, to watch the spectacle.

“I’m not saying that you aren’t, Doctor. But the Go Program is specially qualified to care for Cipher’s victims,” Professor Willow argued.

“If by ‘specially qualified’ you mean that you have knowledge and experience with their complex needs, then so do I.” Dr. Matsumoto’s arms were crossed over her chest, and one of her fingers was tapping her bicep. Noire noted that the tapping sped up as she grew more irate. “In fact, I am already the primary care provider for Lune and Étoile and have all of their medical records. Something that _you_ do not have, Professor. And are you forgetting that Étoile’s guardian has to sign off on their medical procedures?”

She waited a beat for Professor Willow to absorb this, and cut him off when he opened his mouth to argue. “Étoile _has_ a guardian, Professor. A guardian that _is not you_. I suppose you want me to ask Castor to provide the adoption certificate? Will that satisfy you?”

Professor Willow seemed to realize that he would not be getting his hands on Étoile, not while Dr. Matsumoto and Castor stood in the way.

“Well done, Babe,” Theo murmured from her position in the corner.

Spark elbowed his way into the room, so Noire and Amelie had to shuffle down to make room for him. “What’d I miss?” he whispered.

“Dr. Matsumoto: 1, Professor Willow: 0,” Noire whispered back.

“’Kay.”

However, Professor Willow had not given up. “And Lune? As I understand it, they have no guardian to claim them-” he began.

Dr. Matsumoto’s eyebrows shot up. “You aren’t honestly suggesting that we separate them, are you? There is no benefit to the children to have one come with me and one be shipped all the way to Opal so that you can ‘inspect’ them. And what do you plan to do with Soleil?”

Theo left the corner and came to stand by her wife, wrapping an arm around Dr. Matsumoto’s waist. “I can’t think of a good reason why you want them in the first place, other than to gather additional data on what powers they may have,” Theo said in her slow, drawling way. She wasn’t tall, but she was muscular, and her tattooed arms and severe haircut gave her an intimidating air. Noire had seen her move at the Cipher outpost, though she hadn’t been assigned to the same task force as them, and they were certain she could pack a punch. “They don’t know you. Lune’s comfort and safety is paramount. You can’t take them.”

Professor Willow appealed to Sabrina for help, but she shrugged at him in a way that indicated that she did not care either way. Finally, Professor Willow gave up. “Fine. But I’m coming with you,” he said.

Noire frowned. “Hey, you can’t leave Grisaille that long,” they objected. The thought of their little sibling left alone in Opal while everyone they loved and trusted dicked off somewhere else for an indefinite time period was not a happy one.

From the look on Professor Willow’s face, he hadn’t thought of that until now either. But Spark broke in. “Hey, no problem. I can swing back to Opal to get Gris and meet you guys in Coumarine City. Just, y’know, let me know where to show up.”

“We don’t have room to house everyone,” Dr. Matsumoto said with a frown.

Theo rubbed her arm. “No problem, Asako. I’m sure Bess would be happy to have the business at her hotel.”

And so it was decided. Apparently, Theo’s sister Bess ran a hotel near the seaside in Coumarine City. Theo called her to let her know that they would need some rooms reserved. They played it by ear as to when the transport should occur, while Spark went back to Opal to keep Grisaille company until they could be brought along.

When Lune was able to sit up and talk as well as eat their meals without help (Soleil had to be removed from the room so that they could make this determination), Dr. Matsumoto declared them stable enough to make the trip. The Team Rocket doctors agreed, so long as they were under medical supervision for the journey. As Dr. Matsumoto would be accompanying them, that was no problem.

Soleil bundled Lune up in a sweater and sweatpants with thick socks for the trip, despite the fact that it was a warm day. “They get cold,” Soleil said defensively when they felt Blanche looked at Lune too long.

“Of course. So do I,” Blanche replied, and Soleil’s anger deflated.

“They weren’t bothering me, Soleil.” Lune was soft-spoken, but Noire couldn’t tell if that was a personality trait or because they still weren’t well.

Étoile walked onto the plane, but Lune had to be carried. Ryder and Castor both offered, and Lune took Ryder up on it. Lune slept for most of the trip sandwiched between Soleil and Dr. Matsumoto. Étoile sat between Castor and Ciel and watched Ciel play a handheld game while they murmured to each other the whole way. Noire had barely talked to any of them. Maybe when they got back to Coumarine City and things settled down, Noire could finally get to know their clones.


	6. Chapter 6

Lune and Soleil had barely been settled in small patient rooms in Dr. Matsumoto’s clinic when someone pounded on the front door. Noire opened it, a hand on the gun holstered at their hip. Merle darted by them, skidded to a stop in the hallway, and turned around. Merle paused to press their cheek against Noire’s side, since their hands were too full for a hug. “You’re back! I’m back,” Merle said. They shoved a tupperware container into Noire’s hands. “Auntie Bess says hello and gives cupcakes. Where is Étoile?”

“Room on the left.” No sooner had Noire pointed in the proper direction that Merle was dashing off.

Had Merle been carrying a pokemon?

Curious, Noire followed with cupcakes in hand in time to see Merle climb onto the bed. Étoile yelped as Merle pounced on them. “You’re alive!” Merle cried, hugging them with one arm.

“Fuck! Nugget, that hurts!” Étoile kicked Merle, who tumbled to the foot of the bed.

Noire set the cupcakes on the visitor chair and took two steps, intending to intervene before a fight broke out, but Merle rolled to their knees and held out the round pokemon they were holding. It was a Togedemaru. “Étoile, here’s Pomme! Ciel looked after it while you were away, and I looked after it when Ciel went to rescue you.”

Tears filled Étoile’s eyes as the pokemon wiggled and chirped at them, excited to see its trainer. Étoile snatched Pomme from Merle’s arms and pulled it close, murmuring in French.

Merle bounced once, pleased. “May I have a hug too?” When Étoile didn’t answer, Merle’s smile faded. After a moment of waiting for Étoile to greet them with the same enthusiasm they showed for their pokemon, Merle slipped off the bed and out of the room.

Noire caught up to Merle in the hallway and ruffled Merle’s hair when the kid gave a little sigh. “Which room is Lune’s?” Merle asked.

“Across the hall.”

This time Merle knocked.

“Go away!” That was Soleil’s voice, followed by Lune’s.

“Oh, stop, Soleil. Come in!”

Merle poked their head in. “Hello, Lune. May we come in?”

Lune was sitting up in bed under a pile of blankets. “Of course,” they said with a smile.

“I brought Noire.” Merle padded in and started to climb up on the bed.

Soleil grabbed their arm. “Lune is still healing, Merle,” they snapped. “Sit in a chair.”

“Don’t be silly, Soleil, I’m happy to see them.” Lune pulled Soleil’s arm off and allowed Merle to climb up on the bed and snuggle into their side. “Just be careful of my IV, little one.”

“I will.”

The two of them together in the hospital bed reminded Noire of Magpie and Merle back in Opal. They took the other visitor chair next to Soleil. Soleil wasn’t any more pleased to see them then they were to see Merle, but they held their tongue.

Lune’s gentle fingers trailed the side of Merle’s face. “I’m glad you’re doing well. I’ve been so worried.”

“I worried about you too! I’m sorry it took so long to save you.”

“Not your fault. I’m sure everyone did the best they could.” Lune’s eyes moved from Merle to Noire. “And you’re Noire?” At Noire’s nod, Lune gave them a smile. “We finally meet. This must be so strange for you.”

Noire leaned forward in their chair and braced their elbows on their knees. “A little,” they admitted. “But I’m getting used to it.”

Lune laughed, soft and weak. “You’d have to, I guess.”

Merle tapped Lune’s cheek to get their attention. “Lune, Lune, let me tell you something.”

“I’m listening.”

And Merle told them everything that had happened since Spark found them in the rubble of that collapsed lighthouse. It felt like so long ago now. For the first time, Noire got to hear events from Merle’s point of view. How Merle, dazed and in pain in the hospital, thought they had been recaptured by Cipher and attempted to escape. How, in the haze of terror, they had mistaken Noire for Magpie at first. Since Merle thought Magpie was dead at the time, it must have been painful for Merle to realize their mistake.

Merle told Lune about Noire as if they weren’t sitting in the same room. Merle told them about everyone else, too - Sabrina, Blanche, Grisaille, and Amelie in particular.

They visited with Lune until Lune got tired and Soleil kicked them out. “Lune needs to sleep!” Soleil said and closed the door with a snap.

Merle hovered in the hallway for a moment. At first Noire thought they were waiting to see if Soleil would change their mind. Then Noire noticed the way Merle’s eyes kept wandering to Étoile’s closed door. But rather than knocking to see if Étoile was in a better mood now, Merle slipped their fingers into Noire’s and smiled up at them. “Let’s go see Magpie.”

But Magpie had left to escort Blanche, Amelie, and Sabrina to the hotel where they would be staying. Alice delivered this news to Merle gently, but their face froze. “But, but I haven’t seen them yet!”

Wait, Merle had gone to see Étoile and Lune before heading upstairs to look for Magpie? With their crazy separation anxiety? That didn’t make sense to Noire.

“Sorry, Baby. They’ll be back in about half an hour.” Alice ran her fingers through Merle’s hair. “Would you like some lunch?”

“No. Thank you.” Merle’s response was automatic, their thanks an afterthought.

Noire slipped their arms around Merle’s shoulders, and Alice’s big brown eyes settled on them. “What about you? Are you hungry, Noire?”

Geez, she was their sister-in-law, wasn’t she? That meant they had to be nice to her. “Uh, sure,” they said. Merle shot Noire a look of betrayal, and Noire didn’t understand why until Merle followed them to the table. Oh. Merle was using them as a surrogate for Magpie. Noire had never realized just how much Merle hated to be alone.

“Having lunch after all, Merle?” Alice asked. There was laughter in her face when Merle scowled at her and nodded. “Lovely. Are wraps okay?”

“Sure,” Noire said. Merle remained silent, frowning at the table top.

Alice gave each of them a wrap filled with chicken and lettuce and other veggies with a side of chips. As she set Noire’s plate down, she leaned in to whisper in their ear, “Merle likes to share bites.” Then she straightened and announced that she was going to go lay down, and vanished up the stairs.

Noire didn’t need her advice. They hadn’t forgotten. Noire took a bite of their wrap, then held the wrap out to Merle. Merle looked surprised for an instant, but leaned in and took a tiny bite of Noire’s wrap. As Merle did so, they kept their eyes on Noire as if to ask, ‘is this what you want?’

They shared bites of their wraps with each other. Noire had to commend Magpie for coming up with this system. It was a much faster and more efficient way to get Merle to eat than cajoling or spoon feeding them. And while Merle took tiny bites, they took enough bites for it to add up to a decent amount.

“Noire, do you want to see my dolls?” Merle asked as Noire put the plates in the sink for someone else to wash.

“Uh, sure,” Noire said. They followed Merle up the stairs. They hadn’t been to this level yet. There was a small landing lined with bookshelves and a hallway lined with closed doors. Merle opened one without knocking and did a double-take.

Noire was down the hall and between Merle and the doorway in a hot second. They swept the room with their eyes. The room had two beds crammed next to each other. One was a twin and the other was a queen, and there was a narrow strip of floor space between them. There was a closet with the doors removed at the foot of the queen-sized bed with clothes hanging in neat rows or folded on the upper shelves, and a shelf for shoes at the bottom. There was also a small wardrobe with Merle-sized clothes crammed so that you had to stand on the twin-sized bed in order to get to it. Between the beds was a tidy pile of books and a half-empty water bottle.

Ciel was curled on the twin sized bed. The blankets had been kicked to the foot of the bed and for once Ciel’s hair was loose and unstyled. They were wearing an oversized baby blue shirt with an Azurill on it and white shorts patterned with Galarian ponyta. Two backpacks were crammed between their back and the wall, one iridescent pastel covered in pins, and one red that had been scribbled all over with stars, lightning bolts, and spider webs in black permanent marker. A carabiner attached to one strap held an array of what seemed to be string voodoo dolls.

“Shh,” Merle whispered. “I didn’t know Ciel was in here. Don’t wake them up.”

Merle motioned for Noire to stay put and crept into the room. There was a neat row of rag dolls laid out on the queen-sized bed. Merle scooped the whole line into their arms and padded out. The dolls were big and there were so many that Merle struggled to carry them all. Even so, they managed to be quiet until Noire closed the door behind them.

Merle crouched down in the hallway and set the dolls down. “Look, see, here’s Magpie,” they told Noire, holding up one of the dolls. Noire could see the resemblance. The doll was wearing one of those floral shirts Magpie seemed to love so much and had long white hair. Merle set the doll to the far left of the others.

“And this one’s Sparrow?” Noire pointed to one of the other dolls, with its white hair in an undercut and asymmetrical grey arms.

“That’s right.” Merle seemed pleased that Noire understood. They put Sparrow to Magpie’s right. Alice seemed to require some deliberation, before Merle made a space between Sparrow and Magpie and put Alice between them.

There were footsteps on the stairs. Noire started to turn, but without looking up Merle frowned and said, “Étoile, you are supposed to be in the clinic.”

And it was Étoile that came up the stairs. They rolled their eyes. “Yeah, yeah, whatever, Nugget. Is Ciel in there?” Étoile pointed to the door. The tupperware container of cupcakes that Noire had forgotten downstairs was braced on their hip.

Now Merle looked up, still frowning. “Yes, but they’re sleeping.”

Étoile grimaced. “Damn. I wanted to change out of this.” They pinched the material of the hospital gown between their thumb and forefinger with distaste. “I was hoping I could borrow something from Ciel.” Étoile caught the look on Noire’s face and stifled a laugh. “I _know_. But it’s better than what I’m wearing.”

Merle picked up Ryder’s doll and put it next to Alice. “You don’t need to borrow from Ciel. They brought you clothes.”

Étoile looked surprised. Then something in their eyes softened. “They did?”

“Yes. Your backpack is in the bedroom. Where Ciel is _sleeping_ , and you will _not_ wake them up.”

With another eye roll, Étoile backed away from the door and into the opposite wall. They eased down until they were sitting on the floor with their knees drawn up. With a wince, they pressed a hand to their side and rubbed. There was something that hurt in there.

After watching Merle’s doll line grow longer for a moment, Noire sat on the floor next to Étoile and stole the cupcake container. “What’s Merle doing?” Noire whispered. The cupcakes were chocolate, and very good.

Étoile had closed their eyes and leaned the back of their head against the wall. Now their eyes opened to slits and they examined the line of dolls. The corner of their mouth quirked up. “Oh, they’re arranging their dolls in the order of who they like best.”

“Who they like best?” Noire echoed.

“Yeah. Merle’s notorious for playing favourites.”

Merle frowned over their shoulder at Étoile but said nothing. They were holding a white-haired doll in their hands, but Ciel’s doll had already been placed in the line, and Noire didn’t know enough about the other clones to tell which one that doll was.

Ciel was at the far right of the line, and Merle put the unidentified doll to their right. Vincent, Ryder, Dr. Matsumoto, and Theo hung out in the middle, and another unidentified white-haired doll was put to the left. Merle set it between Dr. Matsumoto and Sparrow, but their hands hovered for a moment before they shook their head and moved the doll between Ryder and Alice.

“Mags doesn’t discourage it because they think it helps Merle assess and identify feelings, which is something that Cipher tries to stamp out,” Étoile continued after a moment of quiet watching. “The ones on Magpie’s end are the favoured.” Étoile pointed to the left of the line. “And the ones on Ciel and Soleil’s end are the ones on Merle’s shit list.” Étoile pointed to the right. “But it does tend to fluctuate depending on how they feel day to day. Mags is always far left though,” they added, as if that wasn’t obvious.

Noire eyed the line and wondered why Merle disliked Ciel and Soleil. Well, maybe it wasn’t so hard to figure out why Soleil was on the shit list - they hadn’t exactly been nice to Merle while they were visiting Lune. But Noire couldn’t recall ever seeing Ciel and Merle speak to each other.

“Does Magpie make them?” Noire asked. They assumed yes, since it was obvious that Merle loved the dolls due to the care they used when arranging them.

“Oh, _nah_. Pretty sure Mags can’t sew worth shit. Lune makes them. Cute, right?”

“Yeah.”

Étoile grinned suddenly. “Hey, Merle!” they said. There was a taunt in their tone, and Merle’s face settled into a pout when they looked back.

“What?” Merle’s tone was wary.

“Gonna get any new dolls soon?”

“...No. I do not think it’s right to ask Lune to make Blanche and Noire and Sabrina for me while they are still recovering.” The severity of Merle’s tone made clear that they did not think it was polite of Étoile to suggest it.

There was a pressure in Noire’s chest. Merle wanted a doll version of them to go along with the dolls of their other loved ones. They did love Noire after all.

Étoile scooted across the floor to Merle’s side. Merle watched them but said nothing as Étoile picked up the Ciel doll. “I get why you don’t like Soleil, but poor Ciel. You still holding a grudge?” Merle nodded, and Étoile sighed. “Geez. Wish I’d never told you about that now.”

Noire wondered what Étoile was talking about as Merle picked up the final white-haired doll and set it in the middle of the line. Étoile picked it up. “Nuh-uh. I belong over here.” Étoile set the doll right next to Magpie.

Frowning, Merle shook their head. This time they put the doll, meant to be Étoile, at the very end of the line, after Soleil.

Étoile grinned. “Liar.”

Merle’s sudden fury surprised Noire, but Étoile just laughed as Merle seized the doll and stomped down the stairs. They opened the window on the landing and glanced back to make sure Étoile was watching before they threw the doll out the window.

This was followed shortly by a scream. “Noooooo, give Étoile back!” Merle hoisted themself onto the sill and looked ready to dive out the window.

Étoile darted down the stairs faster than Noire realized they could move in their injured state. Étoile pulled Merle out of the window while Merle flailed at them, sobbing. “No, it took my doll! Let go, I have to save Étoile!”

“What did?” Étoile was brisk as they set Merle aside and climbed onto the windowsill themself.

“The Rattata!”

“’Kay. I’ll be right back.” And Étoile was gone before Noire could say that they shouldn’t go running around or Dr. Matsumoto would skin them. By the time Noire got to the window, though, Étoile had dropped the rest of the way to the ground and disappeared around the back of the clinic.

Merle was weeping into their hands. Noire knelt next to them and rubbed their back. “Why’d you throw the doll away if losing it would upset you?”

“Because I am _stupid _.”__

__Merle turned into Noire’s shoulder and continued to cry while Noire attempted to soothe them. It was a long time before the doll flew in through the window and smacked Merle between the shoulder blades. Merle leapt to the side, eyes wide with panic, before they realized what it was. They gave a cry and dove for the doll, scooping it into their arms and cooing to it._ _

__Noire supposed they shouldn’t be surprised that Étoile followed the doll through the window rather than using the front door. “There,” Étoile said, smug. “I saved myself. Now put me next to Mags. We both know that’s where I go.”_ _

__Merle replied by sticking their tongue out at Étoile. Noire laughed. Merle could be an actual kid after all._ _


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Chibiwriter for helping me characterize Grisaille in this chapter.

Étoile refused to go back to their room in the clinic. Instead, they went into the room where Ciel was sleeping - despite Merle’s protests - and curled up on the empty queen-sized bed. Merle stood in the doorway and scowled at Étoile for a long moment, then closed the door.

“Whose room is that?” Noire asked as Merle settled back in the hallway to play with their dolls. Noire was pretty sure of the answer, but it was something to say.

“Magpie’s and mine,” Merle replied.

Minutes later, they heard the front door open and Magpie’s voice talking quietly to someone. Merle’s head snapped up and without a word to Noire, they darted down the stairs. Noire made it to the top of the stairs in time to see Merle fling themself on Magpie.

There was surprising strength in that small body. Magpie staggered briefly on impact, but regained their footing and gave Merle a hug. At Merle’s frantic questions, Magpie assured them that they were all right.

Magpie smiled at Noire over Merle’s head. “Hey, Noire. I couldn’t find you when I was showing the others to the hotel,” they said.

“I was down in the clinic.” Noire sauntered down the stairs with their hands in their pockets.

“I see. I can show you where the hotel is now, if you want,” Magpie offered, trying to untangle from Merle, who grew more frantic at the suggestion that Magpie was going to leave again. “Merle, _mon petit_ , enough.”

Merle was wrapped around Magpie so tightly that Merle’s feet no longer touched the ground. Noire observed this, and decided that unsticking Merle to get Magpie to show them where to go wasn’t worth it. “Just draw me a map and I’ll figure it out,” Noire said.

“All right. Merle, please get down. It’s hard to move like this.” Merle refused, so Magpie sighed and carried them over to the counter. Magpie drew a quick and simple map with their left hand, and Noire took it and left. They were no longer needed here.

The next day brought Spark and Grisaille.

It was days earlier than anyone expected them to arrive, since Spark had to fly all the way to Opal City, and then fly back with Grisaille. Noire had no idea when he’d even had time to arrange a flight.

The hotel owned by Theo’s sister Bess was just a couple blocks from the waterfront. The ocean sparkled under the late afternoon sun. Sabrina and Professor Willow were sitting at a small circular patio table, eating pastries and arguing quietly. Blanche did not want to sit with Sabrina, and Noire did not want to sit with Willow, so in unspoken agreement they had taken their own box of pastries a short distance away to sit on the low stone wall that separated the hotel yard from the road. They were the first to see the yellow taxi pull into the parking lot, and Spark hop out, followed by a small figure with bobbed white hair.

Blanche abandoned Noire with the pastries to slide off the wall and dart over. Noire decided to stay put to guard the pastries from the Wingull perched on a nearby street lamp. From this distance, they could not hear any words spoken, but they could see Blanche greet Spark and then bend down to give Grisaille a hug. Blanche took the child’s hand and led them in Noire’s direction.

As they got closer, Noire could see that Grisaille’s face was sulky. A twinge of guilt and sympathy tightened Noire’s chest. The poor kid had had their world turned upside down too many times lately. Well, with luck, they could get this sorted out and Grisaille’s life could go back to being smooth and predictable.

“Hey, Gris. How’s it going?” Noire asked, patting the wall next to the pastry box to invite Grisaille to climb up next to them.

“Fine. How are you?” Grisaille replied without inflection. Noire sighed. Yeah, the kid was pissed.

“I’m good. Glad you’re here.” Grisaille glanced quickly at Noire’s face and then away. They struggled to set the massive Eevee in their arms on top of the wall, which was a bit too high for them. Blanche lifted the Eevee up, and Grisaille scrambled up after it.

“Thank you,” Grisaille said. The Eevee sprawled across their lap, and the bottom half of Grisaille’s body disappeared from view with only their feet poking out from the bottom of the fluff. “Mr. Junior is grateful for your assistance.”

Junior was a young XL Eevee trained by Dr. Syric to be a therapy pokemon before being assigned to Grisaille. Although Noire knew Syric had been training therapy pokemon for years, they had been skeptical about whether it would work with Grisalle’s specific traumas regarding pokemon. As they expected, Grisaille had been afraid of Junior at first, but they finally seemed to accept the calm and comfort that he was trained to provide.

Noire offered Grisaille a chocolate croissant, which they accepted. Noire ruffled Grisaille’s hair while they nibbled on the pastry. “I missed you, kiddo,” they said when Grisaille glanced sideways at them.

A little crease appeared between Grisaille’s eyebrows, but they nodded. “I missed you as well,” they said.

Noire grinned.

“Are you three ready to go?” Professor Willow asked, approaching the trio of siblings. Spark and Sabrina were close behind him.

The box of pastries was empty, so Blanche picked it up to take it to the garbage. Grisaille was frowning and clutching Junior to their chest. “Where are we going?” they asked.

“To see Merle and everyone. Come on,” Professor Willow said with a smile, holding out his hand to the child.

Rather than looking happy at the prospect of seeing Merle again, Grisaille frowned. They slid off the wall willingly enough and took Professor Willow’s hand. Junior slipped out of their arms and plunked his fluffy butt on the ground, chirping at Grisaille. Graisaille scratched him between the ears, and the Eevee stuck close to Grisaille’s side as the group began the short walk to Dr. Matsumoto’s house.

Magpie answered the door when they knocked. “Hello! Oh, Grisaille’s here too. Hi, little one.” Magpie smiled at Grisaille, who scowled and looked away. “Come in. We’re making doughnuts.”

Grisaille followed the adults with obvious reluctance, while Junior remained glued to their side.

Merle, perched on a stool at the kitchen counter, started to smile when Noire and Blanche walked in, but their face froze when they spotted Grisaille. The smile dropped away to be replaced with a look of uncertainty. Noire glanced down at Grisaille and was shocked at the vicious look Grisaille shot Merle. Grisaille barely spared a glance for the other clones gathered in the kitchen before finding the least populated corner to tuck themself into.

Merle’s gaze dropped to the table and they shifted closer to Étoile, who was mixing something at the counter next to them. Étoile passed the bowl to Soleil and draped their arm around Merle’s shoulders. “It’s okay,” Étoile murmured to Merle. “You told me they would be mad at you.”

Merle nodded and tapped their fingers on the counter.

Ciel, though, never seemed able to read the mood, and went to go say hello to the newcomer before anyone could stop them. “Hi! You must be Grisaille,” they said, crouching down next to the kid with a cheerful smile. “I’m Ciel. Merle’s talked about you a lot- hm?”

Ciel was cut off when Grisaille picked up Junior and shoved him in Ciel’s face. Ciel looked puzzled for a minute before they shrugged, smiled and patted Junior’s head. “Your Eevee is super cute! If you wanna help us make doughnuts, come right on over!”

With their friendly overtures made, Ciel skipped back to the table.

Grisaille stayed put, and the others gave them space. Blanche went over to sit near them, and Grisaille allowed this, but they glared at Magpie or Sparrow whenever they judged that they had gotten too close.

Noire might have been tempted to join doughnut making if it weren’t already hella crowded in there. Soleil and Ciel were on one side of the counter island and were a study in contrasts. Ciel was their usually peppy self, with their hair in high pigtails and wearing a hoodie tie-dyed in various pastel colours, short jean shorts, and knee-high socks. They sported a big grin and chattered to Soleil as Soleil rolled dough on the counter. For their part, Soleil was quiet. A frown seemed permanently fixed to their face, in sharp contrast to their orange hoodie, and they were subdued.

On the opposite side of the counter, Merle was sandwiched between Étoile and Magpie. They had a tray of finished doughnuts fresh from the oven and were brushing them with melted butter before rolling them in sugar. Every now and then, they would glance up and over at Grisaille, but Grisaille was poking at a bookshelf and did not look in their direction.

When Ciel and Soleil’s batch of doughnuts was in the oven and the others stopped to snack on the finished doughnuts, Magpie finally approached Grisaille.

“Hey, Grisaille,” they said in a gentle voice, stopping a few feet away so that they weren’t boxing Grisaille into a corner. “Would you like a doughtnut?”

Grisaille glared, but didn’t look at Magpie as they shook their head adamantly.

Magpie seemed unfazed by the hostility. “Would you like us to set some aside for you, in case you change your mind?”

Before Magpie finished the question, Grisaille shoved Junior in their face. Magpie took a startled step back, but recovered quickly. “Hello, there. What’s your friend’s name?” Magpie asked Grisaille, who was hidden behind Junior’s bulk. When Grisaille didn’t answer, Magpie looked to Blanche.

“The Eevee is Junior. He’s a therapy pokemon specially trained by Dr. Syric to support Grisaille,” Blanche explained.

“Oh, I see. So he’s working? I’ll leave you be then, Junior.” With a smile, Magpie left Grisaille and Junior alone.

Noire was helping themself to soft, fresh-baked doughnuts when Magpie came over and put two in a resealable bag. They pulled a Sharpie out of a drawer and wrote Grisaille’s name on the bag before setting it aside.

Blanche left Grisaille’s side long enough to snatch a doughnut, and Merle approached Grisaille tentatively.

“Grisaille-” they began.

As with Magpie, Grisaille shoved Junior into Merle’s face. Merle yipped in terror and fled back to Étoile’s side, burying their face in Étoile’s black t-shirt. Étoile looked annoyed, but patted Merle’s head. Behind them, Ciel and Soleil started to wash and dry the dishes, while Ciel kept up what seemed to be a mostly one-sided conversation.

The front door opened and shut downstairs, and Soleil’s head snapped up. They paused in the act of putting a mixing bowl in an upper cupboard and waited until Dr. Matsumoto came into view. Soleil abandoned the bowl on the counter and darted over as Dr. Matsumoto reached the top of the stairs.

“Asako, how’s Lune?” they demanded. They went so far as to clutch at her arm.

“Sleeping. No, you can’t go down,” her tone turned sharp as Soleil tried to dart past her down the stairs. She pulled them back up. “Lune needs quiet for a couple days. I know you mean well, but it stresses them when you hover and watch them like you expect them to die any second. Their life isn’t in danger at this point.”

Soleil looked like they wanted to argue. Then their shoulders drooped and they went back to the kitchen and Ciel.

“Blanche, who is Lune?” Grisaille asked. The exchange seemed to have caught their interest in a way their other siblings had not.

Blanche seemed caught off guard by the question, but they answered readily enough. “One of the clones, from the same batch as Soleil, Ciel, and Étoile.” Blanche gestured in the direction of the kitchen, where Soleil and Étoile had begun to squabble about where the baking sheets were supposed to be stored. Grisaille had not allowed the others to be introduced to them so they would not know who was who, but they didn’t seemed interest at this point.

They did, however, seem interested in Lune.

“And Lune is not well? Are they injured?” Grisaille asked.

Blanche hesitated. “Well, I don’t know the details,” they admitted. “But they seem to be very fragile since they were rescued from Cipher. Étoile was rescued at the same time but seems to be recovering much better.”

Grisaille glanced at the kitchen where the others gathered, doubtlessly observing the fact that none of them seemed to be struggling. “I see,” they murmured.

And that was all Grisaille said for the remainder of the afternoon.


	8. Chapter 8

It wasn’t breaking the rules, exactly.

That’s what Grisaille told themself as they tiptoed down the stairs. The others were eating dinner, and Grisaille had slipped away under the pretense of needing to use the bathroom. Not that they were certain anyone had heard their excuse or noticed them leave. Grisaille knew that they were lowest on the priority list. The others had to talk Merle into returning to Opal with them because Grisaille wasn’t good enough on their own.

The thought of Merle triggered the mixed emotions that tangled in Grisaille’s chest. Affection, betrayal, envy, and white-hot rage.

Grisaille pushed the feelings down - such things were unacceptable, they knew, but they couldn’t bring themself to be friendly to Merle and the family Merle had replaced Grisaille with. Watching Merle cling to Magpie like they were the most important person in the world hurt more than Grisaille had thought non-physical pain could.

It was foolish, didn’t Merle see? The other “siblings” fit neatly into pairs. Grisaille could see the ties even though they had only met the older set of clones mere hours ago.

Magpie with Sparrow.

Ciel with Étoile.

Soleil with Lune, who was not in the room but in the clinic downstairs.

And of course, Blanche and Noire belonged together. So Grisaille had thought-

They shut those thoughts down.

It did not matter what they had thought. They had been wrong. Merle did not want to be their precious friend.

Well, Grisaille did not want _Merle_ either!

Something brushed against their ankles. Grisaille jumped and stifled a cry - it wasn’t against the rules to visit Lune, but they did not want to be caught.

It was Mr. Junior. Grisaille had left him upstairs to beg for table scraps, but it seemed he had come to find them upon noticing their absence.

Grisaille picked him up briefly to bury their face in his fur. At least _someone_ cared about them.

Grisaille had to set him down in order to put their shoes on. They paused with their hand on the door handle, listening, but the voices upstairs did not come closer. Grisaille ignored the pang of disappointment as they pushed the door open, slowly in case it creaked. It did not, and they slipped outside with Mr. Junior on their heels.

The door to the clinic was locked, but that did not pose an obstacle for Grisaille. They picked it open and paused, their nose crinkling. Well, it certainly was a doctor’s office, with all that entailed. Grisaille averted their eyes from the various instruments, most of them completely benign things like tongue depressors, swabs, and blood pressure cuffs, and made their way to the back where the patient treatment rooms were.

The first room they poked their head into was empty but showed signs of recent occupancy. The sheets were disheveled and had not been washed. Perhaps this was the room that Étoile was supposed to be staying in.

Grisaille nudged Mr. Junior out of the way with a foot and closed the door again. The room next door was also empty and sterile in a way that spoke of disuse, so Grisaille tried across the hall.

Despite having been searching for them, Grisaille startled when they saw the person laying on the bed. Lune had shoulder-length white hair, like Merle, but their skin was too pale and there was an oxygen mask fitted over their face to help them breathe. Their eyes were closed, with purple shadows like bruises underneath. Lune appeared fragile in a way that the others did not, and Grisaille’s heart clutched as unpleasant memories came rushing back.

Before Grisaille had fully made the decision to enter, Lune spoke without opening their eyes. “Soleil?”

Grisaille froze. Then their squared their shoulders, cleared their throat, and apologized. “Pardon me, Lune, I am not Soleil,” they said, conscious that they were a disappointment again. They were never what anybody wanted.

Lune’s eyes opened, and at least the shade of green was not dimmed by their apparent illness. They turned their head toward the door, searching for Grisaille, and smiled slightly when they saw them.

“Oh... you must be Grisaille.” They had to stop and pant for breath, as speaking seemed to take great effort for them. “Merle told me about you.”

Grisaille’s face soured. Merle should not be telling people about Grisaille when they clearly did not care about them. But the look on their face made Lune laugh, albeit breathlessly.

Lune held out a hand, palm up. “Could you come here?” they asked when Grisaille just stared at it with suspicion. “I’m sorry, but I can’t see you very well from over there.”

And because Grisaille was silly and soft-hearted enough to feel soft toward this weak, helpless person, they crossed the room and placed their hand in Lune’s. Lune’s hand was cool and dry, the skin and bones feeling almost brittle under Grisaille’s fingers. But their smile was nice when their eyes focused on Grisaille’s face, if hauntingly familiar. Lune’s lips formed the words ‘thank you’, though they no longer seemed able to make the words leave their mouth. Soon Lune’s eyes drifted closed and they fell asleep holding Grisaille’s hand.

They should let go and leave, but they didn’t for two reasons. They didn’t want to go back upstairs, where everyone was happy and there was no place for them. And they did not want to leave Lune alone in the dark and quiet, isolated from the family that was theirs but was not Grisaille’s.

All at once, they became conscious of another presence in the room. Grisaille dropped Lune’s hand and whirled around, startling Mr. Junior, who had been dozing in the visitor’s chair. He dropped to the ground, cheeping at Grisaille, as they realized that it was Dr. Matsumoto in the doorway.

She held up her hands with a wry smile to show that they were empty. “Hey, there, I didn’t mean to startle you,” she said. “I just need to check on Lune.”

Grisaille slowly relaxed their fighting stance, their heart pounding harder than it should for such a mild startle. They stepped out of the way and scooped up Mr. Junior, who was still chirping at them. His soft warmth against their chest helped soothe their rapidly-beating heart.

Dr. Matsumoto went to the bed and checked Lune’s vital signs without waking them up. When she was finished checking Lune, she gestured for Grisaille to leave the room. They obeyed, fighting the inner urge to tell her that she was not their guardian and they did not have to listen to her. It was her clinic.

She escorted them to the front door and out, locking the door behind them. Grisaille lingered. They had no desire to go back upstairs and play the part of happy family. Dr. Matsumoto glanced sideways at them, and Grisaille’s shoulders hunched, already anticipating a reprimand.

“I’ve raised enough of you to know it’s pointless to tell you not to pick locks,” she said bluntly. “But next time please lock the door after you. It puts Lune at risk when proper security isn’t in place.”

“Understood, Doctor,” Grisaille murmured.

When they did not follow her in the direction of the side door, she paused. They glanced away from her searching dark eyes. “I can introduce you to everyone, if you want,” she offered in a much gentler tone that put Grisaille’s hackles up.

“I am fine, thank you,” they said as coldly as they dared toward a doctor. But there was nowhere else for them to go, so they followed her up the stairs.

They got another shock when they reached the main level. Sparrow was sitting in the lap of a blue-haired lady. She was chubby and round, with wavy long hair that looked soft. Grisaille was immediately wary, but they were thrown enough by the fact that Sparrow, who was aloof a lot of the time, was sitting on someone’s lap that they froze for a second.

Then Grisaille noticed that Merle was staring at them from their place next to Magpie. Just before their eyes could meet, Grisaille turned and scuttled to Noire’s side. “Who is the woman with Sparrow?” they asked, not because they cared about Sparrow (they did _not_ ), but so that they would look busy and Merle would not approach them.

Noire was leaning against the wall with their arms across their chest, one hand loosely holding a glass of amber liquid. Grisaille assumed that it was alcohol at first, but as they got closer they realized the sweet smell was apple juice. “That’s Alice,” Noire said, nodding toward the blue-haired woman. “She’s Sparrow’s wife.”

Despite themself, Grisaille’s mouth fell open at this revelation. A _wife_? One of their ‘siblings’ was _married_?

Curious now, Grisaille peeked at the couple out of the corner of their eye, afraid that looking directly might encourage someone to come over. Even Dr. Syric was not married, so Grisaille did not have any examples of what such a relationship was supposed to look like. They watched in fascination as Alice leaned forward to whisper something in Sparrow’s ear. Sparrow turned their head toward her slightly and their face softened into a bright, sweet smile.

Even Grisaille had to admit that this show of tenderness was cute, but no one was ever going to look at them like that. Like they were the source of all that was good and bright in the world.

Grisaille turned away and returned to their corner.

“Grisaille-” Merle’s voice came from behind them and light fingertips brushed their elbow. Merle had gotten close while Grisaille was distracted.

Struck as their internal fury bubbled to the surface, Grisaille practically threw Mr. Junior into Merle’s arms. Grisialle had the guilty pleasure of watching as Merle’s face paled and their eyes widened in terror. 

To Merle’s credit, they did not drop or throw Mr. Junior. Instead they froze with his considerable bulk in their arms, their eyes locked on Grisaille’s with pleading terror. _‘Help me,’_ their eyes seemed to beg, but Grisaille didn’t want to. Merle might think they were friends again.

The moment ended when the black-clad clone... Étoile? marched up and lifted the Eevee from Merle’s arms and dumped him on a nearby chair. Merle ran with a muffled sob back to Magpie, because where else would they go? Always to Magpie, it seemed, because Magpie mattered to them and Grisaille did not.

“Not nice,” Étoile said. They were wearing a black t-shirt with a skull surrounded by flowers in white and grey. They had cut off the sleeves and clumsily stitched the hems, and they had black cuffs on each wrist. It made them look somehow menacing. Grisaille lifted their chin, ready for a fight whether verbal or physical, but Étoile turned to the bookshelf and pulled out a book as though that was their only purpose in coming to this corner of the room. Book in hand, they wandered up the stairs without another word.

Alone again, Grisaille picked up Mr. Junior and whispered an apology in his ear for treating him so carelessly. They retreated the rest of the way to their corner and settled on the floor with their knees drawn up against Mr. Junior to observe what was going on.

The only one to approach them was Magpie, after they had soothed Merle and Merle had gone upstairs. Grisaille tensed, expecting a scolding, which they would not accept from a _stranger._ But Magpie smiled their gentle smile and set a small baggie on the floor next to Grisaille, careful not to touch them or get too close.

“You forgot your doughnuts,” they explained when Grisaille would not take their eyes off of them long enough to inspect what they were being given.

Grisaille’s frown deepened. They did not want peace offerings, even in the form of tasty pastries. They wanted the others to leave them alone. They were not family. They had stolen Merle away. Grisaille did not want them.

But Magpie lingered. “You didn’t eat dinner,” they said, still gently. “I can make you a plate if you want.”

“No thank you. I am not hungry,” Grisaille replied. It was a lie - they hadn’t eaten since Blanche and Noire had shared pastries with them earlier. But they were used to ignoring things much more uncomfortable than mild hunger. They could deal with this easily.

“Okay. Just ask someone if you change your mind - it doesn’t have to be me.” Magpie smiled like they knew Grisaille hated them. Then, finally, they let Grisaille be.


	9. Chapter 9

Grisaille did not mean to be dramatic, but it felt like ages before Blanche and Noire decided to return to the hotel. The last hour or so had been full of boredom for Grisaille, since after Magpie had given them the bag of doughnuts, no one had approached them except for Mr. Junior. Noire and Blanche had been much too busy spending time with the other clones and the strangers to pay attention to Grisaille.

Grisaille was somewhat bitter.

If not for their simmering anger and suspicion, they might have dozed until Blanche came to collect them. But the walk to the hotel was a bit better because Blanche held one of their hands and Noire held the other. Grisaille let themself believe, for those few minutes, that they were loved.

They had left the doughtnuts where Magpie had put them down. They hoped Magpie would be the one to find the proof of Grisaille’s rejection.

It was petty, but Grisaille wasn’t in the mood to be mature.

Their older siblings bickered over who Grisaille would share a room with, which was a small consolation. They were still loved at least a little.

And yet the next morning, their older siblings insisted on going _back._

Grisaille scowled down at their pancakes. They had also made the discovery that the owner of this hotel and restaurant, Miss Elizabeth, was sisters with Mrs. Theo. That made her one of the enemies. They ate the pancakes, but only because they would become weak if they skipped too many meals. Not eating was an issue that Merle had, not Grisaille.

They wondered if Merle ate properly now that they were with their _other_ family.

Blanche touched their cheek. “You’re a little pale,” they remarked, frowning at Grisaille. A criticism. “Are you feeling all right?”

“I am well,” Grisaille said. It had been careless of them to let it show.

Blanche looked like they wanted to press further, but Noire knocked the syrup with their elbow, upending the container into Blanche’s lap, and that set them both to arguing about whether it was deliberate or accidental. While they were distracted, Grisaille slipped a piece of bacon under the table for Mr. Junior. Such behaviour would get them scolded if it was discovered, but Mr. Junior deserved to be rewarded for his loyalty and unfailing affection.

His nose was cold against their fingers as he took the bacon. He was gentle despite his eagerness for the treat. He was well trained.

He licked their fingers to remove any trace of grease, and Grisaille pulled their hand away and wiped their fingers steathily on a napkin. They needn’t have bothered to be sneaky. Blanche and Noire were still arguing and not paying attention to them.

“Hey!” Spark bounded up. “You guys got an early start. You having breakfast without me?” He plunked down in the empty chair next to Grisaille and wrapped his arms around their shoulders in a brief squeeze. Perhaps it was weakness, but they snuggled into the touch. Maybe they would be able to prevent Spark from being stolen by the other clones. He at least should like them enough to stay.

Or so they hoped.

Grisaille let the playful banter wash over them as the adults ate breakfast. They tried to relax, but they knew at any moment that someone would say-

“All right. We’d better get going.”

Grisaille scowled but scooped up Mr. Junior and followed along without complaint. They lagged a few steps behind to drag out the walk, but it still didn’t take long to reach Magpie’s house. Grisaille paused to stare at the door to the clinic. The clinic was open today, though they could not see if there was anyone in the waiting room through the frosted glass panel.

“Gris?” Noire called, already out of sight. Grisaille scuttled around the corner to the apartment door, which Noire was holding open for them.

Resentment and dread settled heavy in their stoamch as they followed Noire up the stairs. They resolved to repeat what they had done the previous day and not interact with their supposed “siblings” at all.

When they stepped into the living area, they received a surprise.

Lune was sitting on the couch with Soleil. Soleil sat so close that Lune was almost in their lap. Despite the heat, Lune was wearing a thick sweater, long pants, and wool socks. Soleil was in the process of brushing Lune’s hair into a ponytail.

It was foolish for Grisaille’s heart to soften at the sight of Lune, quiet and frail with their hands clasped in their lap.

Lune was not the Bleu. Grisaille should not project onto them because they were similar in their fragility.

And yet their feet carried them into the living room before they even noticed Étoile sitting in a nearby armchair. Étoile was holding a book open in their lap, but they weren’t reading it. Instead, Étoile watched Lune and Soleil. The area around their eyes was wrinkled like they were worried.

Merle was tucked next to Étoile in the chair. They, at least, seemed to be reading the book Étoile showed no interest in. Merle glanced up at Étoile, their fingers poised to turn the page. Étoile gave a small nod, and Merle turned the page to continue reading.

Grisaille wanted to talk to Lune. They did not want to talk to the other three.

Well, they could go over and not talk.

Étoile looked over as Grisaille approached and offered a small smile, almost a smirk. Grisaille’s eyes narrowed. They lifted their chin, refusing to show submission to another clone. A rival. Étoile rolled their eyes and rested their cheek against Merle’s hair.

The latter action infuriated Grisaille more than the former, and they huffed and stalked to the empty armchair, which Merle _could _have been sitting in if they didn’t have the constant need to be squished against someone else.__

__Speaking of which, where was Magpie, and why wasn’t Merle following them around?_ _

__Grisaille scanned the room and noted that both Magpie and Sparrow were missing, assuming that they were not upstairs. Ciel was in the kitchen, and Blanche, Noire, and Spark had gravitated to them to see what Ciel was up to. The counters were a mess of bowls, measuring cups, and spilled flour, and Grisaille had no desire to investigate that mess._ _

__“Hi Grisaille.”_ _

__Lune’s soft voice drew Grisaille’s attention to them. There was a gentle smile on Lune’s face, and Grisaille found themself smiling back automatically. Mr. Junior jumped up to lick their face, and Grisaille frowned at him. “Mr. Junior, that is rude,” they told him sternly._ _

__Lune laughed. It was a breathless sound, but it was also warm. “Did you come visit me yesterday? Or did I dream it up?” they asked._ _

__“I went to see you,” Grisaille said, ignoring the sharp, disapproving look Soleil sent them. “Are you feeling better now?”_ _

__“Not really,” Lune said, lifting one shoulder in a shrug. “But I have more energy and can breathe better, so Asako said it was okay for me to come upstairs to be with everyone.”_ _

__Grisaille’s smile returned. “That’s good. It is detrimental to your mental well being to be in a small room by yourself all the time.”_ _

__“I’ve been with them!” Soleil broke in, scowling. They had secured Lune’s ponytail with a green scrunchie and were still cuddled up against Lune’s side._ _

__Lune continued to smile. “I had Soleil,” they agreed. “May I meet your friend?”_ _

__Grisaille was confused until Lune pointed to Mr. Junior. “I can bring him over to meet you if you are not frightened,” Grisaille said, already standing up with Mr. Junior’s bulk in their arms. But they waited for Lune’s nod before bringing him closer._ _

__“Not at all. I would love to see him.” When Grisaille brought him over, Lune held out their hand for him to sniff. “Hello there, friend,” they crooned as he snuffled at their fingers before giving them an affectionate lick. “I’m sorry, you might have told me his name yesterday, but I don’t remember.”_ _

__“He is Mr. Junior. He likes to be petted,” Grisaille added when Lune’s fingers hesitated. At their words, Lune gave his head a gentle scratch. Mr. Junior squinted his eyes in pleasure. “He likes you. You may hold him if you like.”_ _

__“I would be happy to.”_ _

__“Lune, he might be too heavy for you,” Soleil objected as Grisaille placed Mr. Junior onto Lune’s lap. Mr. Junior curled there, butting his head against Lune’s arm to request more scritches._ _

__Lune obliged. “Don’t be silly, Soleil.” They did give a small cough into their sleeve, and Grisaille was immediately concerned. Their hands were ready to take Mr. Junior back at any moment, but Lune seemed to like having him. To Grisaille they said, “I have a Glameow. Would you like to meet her?”_ _

__It was amazing how much Grisaille already liked Lune despite their past experiences with other clones. So it pained them to refuse and risk disappointing Lune. “I am sorry, but that would not be a good idea,” Grisaille said. “I am used to Mr. Junior, but I do not believe I would be comfortable meeting your pokemon.”_ _

__Perfect understanding filled Lune’s face. “That’s all right.”_ _

__With concern, Grisaille realized that Lune had lost some colour in their face. Mr. Junior seemed to sense the sudden change in Lune’s condition as well and hopped from their lap to the floor, where they leaned against Grisaille’s calves._ _

__Soleil noticed too and started fluttering. “Do you not feel well? Do you need to lie down?” Soleil asked, pressing their forehead to Lune’s to check their temperature._ _

__“Yes, maybe,” Lune admitted._ _

__Until that moment, Étoile had ignored the others. Now they stood up, tossing the book onto Merle’s lap. Grisaille scuttled out of Étoile’s path as they marched over. “Upstairs or down?” Étoile asked, bending to be on eye level with Lune._ _

__“I think it might be easier for me to get upstairs. It’s closer,” Lune replied._ _

__There was a flurry of activity as Soleil and Étoile each took a side to support Lune as they walked to the stairs. Lune managed to murmer a quick “it was good to see you, Grisaille,” before they were whisked away._ _

__That left Grisaille alone with Merle, a situation that they very much wanted to avoid._ _

__After a moment of silence, Merle piped up, “Um-”_ _

__They stopped and seemed to wither when Grisaille sent them a cold look. They clutched their book to their chest and tried again. “I know you are angry,” Merle said, and pressed on despite Grisaille’s glare. “And you are right to be. I hurt you by leaving. And I knew I would, so there is no excuse. But I wanted to be with Magpie.”_ _

__“And not with me,” Grisaille said before they could stop themself._ _

__Merle looked upset, but didn’t directly contradict them. “It’s not that I didn’t like being with you. But I need Magpie.”_ _

__Grisaille picked up Mr. Junior again so that they would not strike out in their anger. “If Magpie is so important, why are you not with them now?”_ _

__Merle flinched at the venom in Grisaille’s tone. They were bending the cover of the book and if they did not stop soon, it would be permanently damaged, but Grisaille did not feel the need to point that out to them. “Magpie’s at work,” Merle whispered. “With Alice and Sparrow. Étoile is keeping an eye on me.”_ _

__It had not occurred to Grisaille that Magpie and Sparrow would have jobs. Perhaps that was because they were used to the Team Leaders and Dr. Syric, who lived and breathed their work and did not leave it behind when they went home for the day._ _

__Grisaille did not give Merle a response. Instead, they all but stomped over to the kitchen where Noire and Ciel were arguing and Blanche watched in exasperation._ _

__“You can’t use that much food colouring, Ciel!” Noire said, staring in horror at a bowl of bright blue mystery batter as Ciel stirred it. Other similar bowls in orange and pink sat on the counter._ _

__“I can use as much food colouring as I like,” Ciel retorted. “I mean, until it starts affecting the flavour. Which it does, after a certain point. But I know where that line is, and not to cross it.” Their nose crinkled at the disgust on Noire’s face. “So I’ll poop blue, so what? N-B-D, right?”_ _

__Grisaille had learned that acronym from Spark and knew that it meant ‘no big deal.’ But they were inclined to agree with Noire’s doubt of the food. That pink almost looked radioactive._ _

__Despite their resolve not to, Grisaille glanced over their shoulder at the living area. Merle had disappeared. Upstairs to glue themself to Étoile again, most likely. Because apparently Magpie wasn’t the only one that Merle liked better than Grisaille._ _

__“Don’t listen to them, Ciel,” Spark said. He alone seemed as enthusiastic as Ciel about the radioactive batter. “Live your best life.” He ruffled Grisaille’s hair as they went to stand by his side. “I’d love to try your blue muffins.”_ _

__Ciel beamed at him. “Awesome! I’m gonna put belue berries in them.” They beamed down at Grisaille. “What colour do you wanna try, Grisaille?”_ _

__Grisaille scowled at them. “None.”_ _

__“Seriously? You’re as bad as Blanche and Noire. A little food colouring won’t kill anybody. At least, not this kind? I don’t know about other kinds.”_ _

__As Ciel prattled on, Grisaille closed their eyes and leaned their head against Spark’s side. Ciel was annoying, but at least they didn’t seem interested in Grisaille. It made them easy to ignore._ _


	10. Chapter 10

After Soleil disappeared upstairs with Lune, Grisaille did not expect them to part for any reason. So it was a surprise when they exited the restroom to find Soleil standing just outside the door with their arms crossed over their chest and a tense expression.

It was automatic for Grisaille to take a step back. They didn’t expect to see Soleil there, after all, but they didn’t want their surprise to be mistaken for weakness.

Soleil did not waste time in airing their grievance. “You shouldn’t have gone down to the clinic yesterday. Not without asking. Didn’t you _hear_ Dr. Matsumoto say that they weren’t allowed visitors?”

Grisaille laced their fingers together in front of them and their mouth set stubbornly. “I only wanted to meet them,” they said. “I thought they might be lonely.”

Grisaille wanted to walk away after that, but Soleil was blocking the hall to the rest of the house. Despite their irritation, they did not want to start an altercation by pushing past Soleil.

Soleil made an angry gesture with their hands. “That’s not the point! Lune is _vulnerable_. If a doctor says that they shouldn’t be disturbed, you have to follow that. Otherwise you put Lune at risk. You don’t know their history. You don’t know if they’re immunocompromised. Just... stay away from them if you’re not going to be careful!”

Soleil whirled around and stomped off. Grisaille heard their heavy footfalls go up the stairs, and though they could not hear Soleil enter whichever room Lune was in, Grisaille was sure that was where they went.

Alone now, they allowed their shoulders to sag.

It was not their intention to place Lune in any kind of danger. They could not explain, even to themself, the compulsion that had pulled them down to the clinic the previous day. But when they had learned about Lune, they had wanted to meet them. If Lune could not leave the clinic, that meant that Grisaille had to go to them.

Though perhaps it was pure selfishness that they had chosen to do it on a day when they knew the other clones would not be down there.

The thought was uncomfortable, that they may have put Lune at risk for selfish reasons.

They would apologize to Lune once they were rested and able to come back downstairs.

It was Étoile who returned first, padding down the stairs on near-silent feet to flop on the couch. Merle’s head appeared as Étoile settled in. So they had not gone upstairs after all, but had been lying down on the couch where Grisaille couldn’t see them. Merle asked Étoile a question too quiet for Grisaille to hear, brushing their bangs out of their face as was their habit. Not that Grisaille was watching Merle or paying them any attention at all.

Grisaille looked away in disgust when Merle immediately wiggled over to snuggle into Étoile’s side. They did not miss Étoile’s rolling eyes, but Étoile was at least kind enough to wrap an arm around Merle and read to them out loud from the book Merle held out.

Why was Merle so determined to attach themself to people who did not like them best? Grisaille was right here.

“Hey, Gris!” A beat after Spark spoke the words, his arm was sliding around their shoulders. “Wanna play cards with us?”

“All right,” Grisaille said. It would mean putting up with Ciel, who would be participating now that their first batch of muffins was in the oven.

Ciel smiled at Grisaille as they joined the others at the table. “Hi! Do you know how to play Crazy 8’s?” Grisaille did not, so they shook their head. “Okay, I’ll explain the rules.”

The explanation of the rules was thorough, if not concise. Ciel insisted on dealing the cards out of concern that Noire might cheat. Grisaille thought this concern was well-founded given Noire’s personality. From Spark’s laughter, he agreed.

The game was simple enough, and Grisaille did quite well against the others. To their frustration, Ciel always won, despite getting up frequently to take batches of muffins out of the oven and put new batches in. Grisaille stared at Ciel through slitted eyes. Perhaps Ciel was a cheater?

Over the next round, Grisaille paid close attention to Ciel’s hands. They saw no evidence of cheating.

Ciel smiled at them. “What?”

Grisaille’s head tilted, but they didn’t speak.

“You keep staring at me,” Ciel clarified in answer to Grisaille’s unspoken question. “What’s up?”

Grisaille frowned and made a point of looking away. They felt rather than saw Ciel look at Blanche and heard the rustle of cloth as Blanche shrugged. Grisaille’s hands balled into fists in their lap.

A key clicked in the lock downstairs, and Alice’s cheerful voice carried up the stairs. She was telling a story from work. “-wouldn’t believe the mess! Sparrow had to help me clean it up.”

The sound of Magpie’s voice make Grisaille’s stomach clench in anger. “It’s shocking how people think they can trash hotel rooms.”

A beat later Sparrow came into view carrying a reusable bag of groceries. Their face brightened when they saw the others. “You came to visit again!” they said, like it was a surprise.

Sparrow passed them to set the bag of groceries on the counter and began to unpack it. Alice was by their side in an instant to help, standing so close that her arm brushed Sparrow’s every time she moved. She didn’t even seem to care that Sparrow’s arm was metal. It was part of Sparrow, and that was all that mattered.

Magpie brought up the rear. They were wearing the same uniform as the other two, black slacks and a burgundy polo shirt. Grisaille recognized the logo. So it was true that they worked at the same hotel where Grisaille and the others were staying.

Magpie had barely reached the top of the stairs when Merle abandoned Étoile to launch themself into Magpie’s arms. Magpie caught them and spun to keep from being flung down the stairs and didn’t bother to set Merle on the floor as they walked further into the room. Not that it would have worked had they tried. Merle was wrapped so tightly around Magpie that it might be necessary to use a crowbar to pry them off.

Étoile rolled their eyes again. This time Grisaille was in agreement.

“Where are Professor Willow and Sabrina?” Sparrow asked as they continued to put groceries away.

“Downstairs arguing with Dr. Matsumoto,” Noire replied.

Ah. It hadn’t occured to Grisaille to ask that question, but it made sense.

Professor Willow had not given up on bringing the other clones back to Opal City with him.

Grisaille wasn’t enough for _him_ either.

Their body tensed when they realized Alice was leaning over them. It took all their willpower not to leap out of their chair and away. Not that Grisaille had anything specific against Alice. She was a stranger, possibly another Cipher orphan, but she was not one of the clones so she did not trigger memories of fights to the death.

That did not mean they were entirely comfortable around her, either.

“Sorry,” she said with an apologetic smile. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. I just wanted to ask if you’re okay.”

Their eyes narrowed. “I am unharmed.”

They risked a glance to the side to signal to Blanche and Noire that they needed assistance, but their heart sank as they realized their older siblings had gotten up to greet Sparrow and Magpie. Even Spark had left them.

It seemed Grisaille would need to fend for themself in this interaction, as they were _not_ going to ask for assistance from Ciel.

Alice slid onto the chair that Spark had abandoned. Her eyes were a warm brown, soft, but Grisaille was not fooled. Even things that appeared soft could hide danger.

Mr. Junior jumped onto their lap, sensing their distress. Grisaille stroked his head. 

“You’re so angry, though,” Alice said. “It rolls off you in waves.”

Grisaille tensed and their eyes shot back up to her face.

They had not realized that she was a psychic.

Grisaille slammed up their mental shields, though they had felt no prying. Better to be safe. Always best to be as safe as possible. Their heart sped up.

And she _knew_. Grisaille knew she knew because she frowned and scraped her chair back a few inches to give them space. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking. Like I said, it’s rolling off you. Lune picked up on it too, so they asked me to see if I could help.”

“I do not require help,” Grisaille said before the full weight of her words sank in. They had stood up, shaking, with Mr. Junior in their arms when it hit.

They sat back down.

“Lune is psychic?”

Alice nodded and laced her hands in her lap. “Yes. Sparrow as well.” She smiled as Sparrow set a glass of juice next to her elbow. “Thank you, _mon amour._ ”

Sparrow smiled. “You’re welcome,” they said, setting a glass of juice next to Grisaille as well before going to pour more.

Grisaille had not picked up on that about Sparrow, and they frowned at Sparrow’s back as they poured juice for Ciel. “Sparrow did not mention such a talent,” Grisaille said stiffly. Mr. Junior stretched up to lick their jaw.

“Yes, well,” Alice sighed and shrugged her shoulders. She was wearing a ring on a chain around her neck. Grisaille had noticed that Sparrow wore a similar one. Both were plain gold bands. “Sparrow isn’t exactly... aware... of their own abilities. I’ve tried to explain, but...” her voice trailed off with another sigh.

“And Lune?” Grisaille asked, because that was what they really cared about.

Alice shifted in her seat. The others were preoccupied with exclaiming over Ciel’s brightly-coloured muffins so they had a bubble of privacy for the moment. “Lune is quite powerful. But their power didn’t come naturally to them.” Alice looked sad, which increased Grisaille’s distress.

“Cipher?” they asked, voice barely more than a whisper. Mr. Junior licked their face again. He was doing his job, trying to calm Grisaille’s distress which must be obvious to his heightened senses.

Alice nodded. “I don’t know how it was for your batch of clones, and I won’t ask because that’s your business. But for the older set, if they were unsuccessful with the Shadow Corruption Program, they were used as fodder for other experiments. Not so much with the thought that they would succeed, but the idea was that they would provide valuable data before they died.” Alice had to pause to take a calming breath. So she wasn’t as composed as she appeared either.

Once Alice had settled herself as much as she could, she continued, “Most were unsuccessful. Many died. Some survived with no abilities, like Ciel and Soleil. Lune gained immense psychic power at the expensive of their health. Their body can’t hold it. The more they use their power, the more they deteriorate. Well, I’m sure you’re famililar with that side of things.”

Her hand trembled when she picked up her glass to sip her juice.

“Is it like that for you as well?” Grisaille asked. They hated the thought of Lune in pain, slowly wasting away. And while they did not like Sparrow, they did not like the thought of Sparrow’s wife suffering in a similar manner.

Alice shook her head. “No, I was born with my powers. It’s why my parents sold me to Cipher.”

Ciel waved her over to try their blue muffins, and so Alice left Grisaille on that shocking note. On her way to the counter, she laid a gentle hand on Grisaille’s shoulder, which they had to fight the urge to shrug off. “Just let me know if there’s anything I can do to make you more comfortable, okay?”

Grisaille did not say that they would be more comfortable if she left them alone. They were sure she got the message regardless.

After all, she was _psychic._

Merle was heading their way with a muffin, so Grisaille fled from the table before Merle could speak to them or worse, attempt to foist the muffin off on them. They did not turn when Merle called their name.


	11. Chapter 11

Merle watched Grisaille move away from them yet again, and their shoulders sagged. They deserved to be shunned. They knew they did. Merle was the one who had made friends with Grisaille and then left without a word.

But they had thought that their family was dead, and that there was no choice but to make the best of their new reality even when the loneliness and misery tore them apart. What else could they do? Magpie always said that when you didn’t know what else to do, you had to keep moving forward. Merle knew that there were things that pained Magpie, the things that Magpie wouldn’t talk to Merle about when Merle asked why they cried in their sleep. Magpie moved forward. Merle had tried, too, for Magpie.

But it hurt so bad.

Then Magpie had found them, alive but not completely whole. The broken pieces of Merle’s heart shifted back into place. Fragile, scarred, but better than Merle had felt in months.

Going with Magpie hadn’t required any deliberation on Merle’s part. They belonged where Magpie was.

Merle had known that Grisaille would be upset. Just not _this_ upset.

It hadn’t occurred to them that Grisaille cared much for their presence one way or another. Merle had expected to receive anger for the defection and betrayal, but they did not expect Grisaille to be hurt.

Merle didn’t know how to make it better. Especially since Grisaille wouldn’t even look at them or speak to them.

No matter how Merle felt about it, Grisaille had set a boundary. Boundaries _must_ be respected.

So Merle turned away, even though they knew where Grisaille had tucked themself between the cabinets. They held the still-warm, distressingly blue muffin in their hands as they sat at the table as though that had been their intention all along.

They set the muffin on the table and stared at it. The top was browned slightly - Ciel might have overbaked it, or perhaps things still turned brown once they were cooked whether or not they had been dyed virulent shades of blue.

Merle did not want to eat it. But from the smile on Ciel’s face when they caught their eye, Ciel expected them to eat it.

Merle swallowed hard. Their stomach twisted in greasy knots even at the best of times, but fretting about Grisaille had made it worse.

Even so, they broke off a small piece of the muffin in their fingers and after a moment to brace themself, put it in their mouth. It wasn’t bad, they decided as they chewed. Fruity with a sour-spicy tang. Not as sweet as something Merle would expect from Ciel’s tastes.

Étoile took the chair next to Merle, and the flopping in their stomach settled further. Magpie was home. Étoile was here, frowning about nothing in particular as they tore their pink muffin into chunks before devouring it. Crumbs spilled over the table top. Merle winced, physically restraining the urge to sweep the mess into a neat pile to prevent Étoile from getting in trouble. No one here would care about the mess as long as Étoile cleaned up after themself, and they always did.

“What flavour is yours?” Étoile asked after a moment, as if realizing for the first time that Merle was in the vicinity.

“Belue berry,” Merle said, and offered Étoile a chunk. Étoile took it and chewed it consideringly. 

Although Merle waited for a moment, Étoile didn’t comment. “What kind of berries are in yours?” Merle ventured.

“Pecha. Here.” Étoile held a small bit of muffin to Merle’s lips. Merle took it. Ah, _there_ was the sweetness explosion they had expected. Ciel wasn’t the only one who loved sweet things—Lune and Soleil would probably like this as well, if they could get over the unusual colour.

Étoile was waiting for a response. “It’s sweet,” Merle said.

“Yeah.”

And that was the end of the conversation. That was the nice thing about Étoile, Merle thought. Étoile could be a jerk sometimes, but they did not need to be entertained. Companionable silence was good enough.

After a few minutes, Étoile was finished their muffin. They snatched two more of the pink ones and thumped up the stairs. So Étoile had the same train of thought that Lune and Soleil would like them.

Merle’s anxiety ramped up as soon as Étoile was out of the room. They slid out of their chair with the remainder of their muffin and edged closer to Magpie, who was telling a story from work to Noire and Blanche.

When Merle pressed against Magpie’s side, Magpie’s arm came up automatically to wrap around them. Merle relaxed, though they felt a twinge of guilt when Blanche glanced at them and frowned.

The door at the bottom of the stairs clicked as it unlocked. Merle’s ears perked up. Was that Maman Asako? No... the footsteps were too heavy. It was-

“Ryder!” they crowed happily, releasing Magpie to dart over to their big friend as he came up the stairs. Ryder laughed and scooped them up in scarred, muscular arms.

“Hey. You staying out of trouble?” he said, rubbing his scruffy cheek against theirs. Merle made a face as his stubble scratched at them.

“Yes! Stop, it scratches. _Non!_ ” they complained, and he laughed as he set them down.

Vincent skirted around Ryder, giving Merle’s hair an affectionate ruffle on the way. He was always very careful when he touched them since he didn’t want to scratch them with the sharp, dark claws that replaced two of his fingers on each hand. As he always did, he gravitated straight for Magpie, who looked up at him with a smile when he settled beside them.

It made Merle smile to see it, but their smile quickly turned to a frown when they noticed Blanche and Noire edge away from Vincent. Yes, Merle had to admit that Vincent looked scary with his red eyes, large teeth, and claws, but he was a good person. The fact that he was allowed here meant that he was a friend.

This time it was Ryder who ruffled their hair. “Don’t worry about it,” he said when they looked up into his face, which was even more heavily scarred than his arms. “We take some getting used to.”

“I understand,” Merle said. But they couldn’t help but pout about it. They wanted their friends to be loved and accepted.

Ryder chucked them under the chin and moved on to say hello to Sparrow, which was natural since they were best friends. Merle brushed off dust that had transferred from Ryder onto their clothes. He must have been working with drywall today.

The adults were busy, which often meant that they didn’t want a kid like Merle inserting themself into the discussion. Even Ciel was getting edged out.

But they were approaching Grisaille.

Merle winced as Ciel approached Grisaille’s hiding place and held out a muffin. _‘Please don’t hit them,’_ Merle thought to Grisaille. Ciel might not be particularly sensitive emotionally, but their physical nerve endings worked just like anybody elses. And Grisaille could hit hard.

Grisaille glared at Ciel as they chattered away, but didn’t hit Ciel and did not respond. Ciel eventually set the muffin on the floor for them and skipped off. Upstairs.

Was Merle allowed upstairs while Lune was resting? They frowned. No one had said that they weren’t. But Étoile also hadn’t brought Merle with, so that was an implied no.

With a sigh, Merle flopped into one of the armchairs. It was so boring when nobody was paying attention to them.

They watched as Vincent ran his claws through the end of Magpie’s ponytail.

They wondered if anyone else noticed.

Did _Magpie_ notice?

Magpie turned to smile at him, so they did at least notice the gesture. Merle folded their arms on the arm of the chair and wondered if Magpie noticed the feeling behind it.

Vincent’s fingers skimmed the ends of Magpie’s hair again before he wandered off to inspect the muffins that Ciel had left on plates on the counter. Ciel bounced over to explain the flavours to him. He picked a purple muffin. Merle didn’t know what flavour that was, so watched carefully as he nibbled it carefully around his prominent teeth.

From the look of confusion on his face, it did not taste like he expected. Merle pressed their mouth against their arm to stifle a giggle, but he still heard them. It was hard to tell when Vincent was smiling by looking at his mouth. His teeth kept his lips stretched open and his mouth permanently open. You had to look at his eyes to see them warm and squint. Merle smiled back.

Ryder was digging in the cupboard. “Anyone want tea?” He asked, pulling out the kettle. “Merle?”

“Yes please,” Merle said. They caught the surprised looks Blanche and Noire sent them and sank down in the armchair. They liked tea. Ryder made good tea.

“What about you, little one?” He asked Grisaille, who stared at him sullenly and did not answer.

Noire stomped over and squished themself into the armchair next to Merle. Merle squeaked as Noire ruffled their hair and squished their face. “Since when do you like tea, huh?” Noire demanded, giving them a noogie as Merle attempted to wiggle down and away.

“Since always!” Merle protested. “Ryder makes me tea a lot.”

“You didn’t drink it with us.” 

Merle could have gotten away if they wanted to, but not without hurting Noire, which was something they did not want to do. So they squirmed and hoped that Noire would have mercy and release them soon enough. “I was not offered tea.”

“You could have _asked._ I’d have gotten you whatever you wanted.”

Oh. Noire’s feelings were hurt.

It seemed Merle could not do anything right when it came to their siblings.

Merle stopped squirming half-sprawled on Noire’s lap. Noire also stopped squishing them, so Merle sat up and shifted so that they were more comfortably settled. “I know you woud,” they said tentatively. Noire didn’t appear angry, so after a moment Merle wrapped their arms around Noire’s neck. “I didn’t think to ask. Sorry, Noire.”

They were worried that Noire would reject them as Grisaille was determined to. That even if they were sorry, it wouldn’t be good enough because Merle had hurt them. So when Noire wrapped their arms around Merle in return and gave them a squeeze, Merle nearly went limp from relief.

But that wouldn’t do. That was weakness. And even though Magpie said it was okay to be weak around people they could trust and that weakness wasn’t as horrible as Cipher made it out to be, Merle knew that showing weakness was awkward and uncomfortable for the people around them. They had made Noire uncomfortable enough already by making them come all the way out here to find Merle. Noire even had to spend time with Merle’s family, and while Noire was being gracious, Merle didn’t think Noire was all that happy about it.

“It’s all right,” Noire whispered in their ear. “It’s not your fault that we didn’t know what you needed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Announcement: I will be taking a break from updating my fics starting in October. Updates will resume in January.


	12. Special Chapter: Tattoo

“A tattoo?”

All of Magpie’s dearest friends were gathered in a circle on the beach. It was night because lately that was the only time all of them could be together. Magpie, determined not to be a burden, had gotten a job as soon as Asako would allow it. They didn’t mind that it was for Theo’s sister. At least they were contributing to their new family.

After all, that was their job. To keep this small family they had made functioning.

Well, perhaps not so small, compared to other families. But much more broken.

Sparrow had followed their lead, accepting whatever job Bess had been willing to give them at her new hotel. It had soon become apparent that they did not have the customer service skills for the front desk like Magpie did, so Bess had switched them to housekeeping. Sparrow liked the quiet, repetitive tasks, and the other housekeepers liked them because Sparrow had no problem intimidating creeps.

The guys hadn’t even tried the hotel. Ryder had spoken for both himself and Vincent when he told Bess that they weren’t suitable for client-facing roles, and promptly got a job with a local construction company. It was taking Vincent longer to find something, but Magpie didn’t mind. If he was happy, they were happy.

Sweet Alice was thirteen now and wanted to do everything the others were doing, but Asako put her foot down. She would be starting school in the fall, after a year of home schooling to catch her up. She was nervous and excited.

Right now she sat as close to Sparrow as she could get without touching them, looking at them whenever she said something as though to gauge their reaction. She kept turning pink and twisting her curls around her fingers.

Magpie supposed there were worse people for her to have a crush on, but Sparrow was entirely oblivious. And she was so young. No, Magpie wasn’t going to be pointing it out to Sparrow anytime soon. Maybe in a few years, if Alice was still interested when she was older.

Though it wasn’t any of Magpie’s business, so perhaps they should stay out of the matter entirely.

Sparrow wasn’t paying attention. They were frowning at Magpie. It was hard for strangers to tell, but most of the time when Sparrow frowned it wasn’t out of unhappiness or disapproval. Rather, they were trying to work something out in their head.

“Why do you want a tattoo?” Sparrow asked again.

The others were looking at Magpie in expectation of an answer.

But Magpie wasn’t sure they could explain the private workings of their mind. How sometimes it was hard to get out of bed. How sometimes only naming the people they loved, like a prayer, convinced them to keep on living.

Sparrow needed them. Alice needed them. Ryder and Vincent needed them.

Magpie wanted a tangible reminder.

Of course, they couldn’t just _say_ that. So they had to voice it in a way that Sparrow and the others would understand.

“I want to cover up my Cipher barcode,” Magpie said. It wasn’t a lie. Magpie planned to cover the barcode on their left hip. It was a mark of ownership, and Magpie didn’t belong to Cipher anymore. They belonged to their family. So they would cover an image that brought them pain with an image that brought them comfort.

They could see from Sparrow’s eyes that they understood that reasoning. They had been free from Cipher for barely two weeks when Sparrow brought Magpie a lighter (who knows where they’d found it) and asked Magpie to burn their barcode off.

Magpie hadn’t wanted to, but Sparrow had needed them to. So they did it.

They still remembered Sparrow’s grimace of pain and how they’d struggled to hold completely still while Magpie held the flame to their skin. The smell of burnt flesh. The salty tears that Magpie had to hold back until later to keep from distressing Sparrow, who couldn’t stand it when Magpie cried.

A tattoo wasn’t much different, all things considered. It was still pain to erase something that upset them.

But at least a tattoo would be pretty.

Alice tore her eyes away from Sparrow long enough to ask Magpie a question. “What kind of tattoo do you want?”

“Flowers,” Magpie said. Their heart thumped nervously, but training prevented it from showing in their face or movements. They flipped open the notebook they had in their lap to the relevant pages and held it out for their friends to look at. “I was thinking of getting a flower to represent each of you, with your names underneath it. What do you think?”

Vincent took it first, examining the page and Magpie’s rudimentary sketches. They had known that their friends wouldn’t necessarily recognize the flowers by name alone. For the ones they hadn’t been able to draw accurately, they had printed out the flower and glued it in. Vincent flipped through until he got to the page where Magpie had sketched a spray of little blue forget-me-nots with his name beneath it. He nodded his approval, flashed Magpie a thumbs up, and passed the notebook on to Ryder.

Magpie had chosen a black hellebore flower for Ryder. He didn’t seem to have much of an opinion, as he shrugged and handed the notebook on to Sparrow.

Alice leaned in to see the notebook over Sparrow’s shoulder. When Sparrow just stared down in confusion, she reached out to turn the page for them.

“...A rose?” they asked.

Magpie fought the urge to twist their hands, and instead held them perfectly still in their lap. “Yes. I thought you liked them?”

Confusion crossed Sparrow’s face, and Magpie cursed themself. Sparrow didn’t understand preferences yet. It had only been a year, after all, and Cipher’s conditioning was hard to break. Ryder and Vincent were barely better.

“It’s pretty, isn’t it?” Magpie asked, trying to recover. Honestly, they weren’t sure if that would work either. Sparrow didn’t seem to put much value in prettiness.

But they were nodding. “Yes, it’s pretty.” They glanced at the opposite page and smiled. “Alice’s little bell shaped flowers are very pretty too,” they added.

Alice beamed. “They are!” she agreed, a bit too enthusiastically, but Magpie was the only one who noticed.

She was such a sweet girl.

“What are these ones called?” she asked.

“Bluebells.”

“I like them.”

Relief. They chose well if each of their friends liked the flower that Magpie chose for them.

So Magpie smiled, and their notebook was passed back to them, and the conversation turned to other things.

* * *

Magpie didn’t ask for permission from Asako or Theo to get their tattoo. They were tired of other people having control over their body.

That included the law. Yes, they were only sixteen, and no tattoo artist would legally tattoo them. But Magpie knew there were always people who didn’t care about laws. After all, they had been raised by a criminal organization.

They were able to find someone through a “friend.” (Magpie didn’t have friends. They just had their family.)

Asako sighed when she saw it, but she told them it was pretty. She knew better than to bother with scolding them. She did, however, make sure they treated it properly so that it would heal, and made sure that she tested them to make sure they didn’t catch any illnesses from “unscrupulous dealers.”

Perhaps the most rewarding was that Sparrow loved Magpie’s tattoo almost as much as Magpie themself did. For having been so ambivalent at the idea, Sparrow liked to trail the metal fingers over the ink over Magpie’s left hip after the skin had fully healed. “Here’s me,” they’d say, tracing the outline of the rose. “And here’s my Ryder.”

Then they’d always frown and ask. “But where are you?”

And Magpie would laugh and press their hand to their own chest and say, “Right here!”

Over the years, Magpie had to add five more flowers to their tattoo, so that it no longer covered only their hip, but stretched up their ribs and down their thigh.

A purple pansy for dark, smirking Étoile.

Clover for cheerful, chatty Ciel.

Sweet Lune got a morning glory, and vibrant Soleil was a marigold.

And peach blossoms for Magpie’s stubborn little blackbird, who was perplexed at their addition.

“I do not understand,” Merle said, their voice flat and emotionless as they stared at the reddened, swollen skin on Magpie’s lower ribs.

“I love you,” Magpie explained.

Merle touched the skin gingerly. They did not understand gentleness, not then, but somehow they knew how to be. Their touch was feather light. “Does it not hurt?”

“It does, but it’s temporary. The picture will be there as long as I exist,” Magpie explained.

Merle thought for a while. Then, surprisingly, voiced a question similar to Sparrow’s many years before. “But what flower are you?”

“I don’t need a flower since the tattoo is to remind me of the people I love.”

Unlike Sparrow, Merle was not satisfied by this answer. “But if we’re flowers, you’re a flower too. What flower are you?”

“Oh...” Magpie had to think. “I suppose... I’ve always liked poppies.”

To their relief, Merle was satisfied. They nodded and slipped from Magpie’s bed to their little mattress on the floor, where they had made a cozy nest. They never stayed by Magpie’s side for long. Magpie could only hope that Merle would bond eventually.

Years later, when Merle turned eighteen, they got a little red poppy tattooed on the inside of their left wrist to remind them of the first person who loved them.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, due to various reasons I didn't manage to finish today's chapter. I decided to post what I have, so it's a short one. See the notes at the end of the chapter for some awesome fanart by Chibiwriter!

Now that everyone was home, Spark insisted on going sightseeing. “C’mon!” he said. “We’re in a resort town. I wanna see the place, not just spend time here or at the hotel.”

Blanche and Noire might have argued, but Magpie was nodding like this was perfectly reasonable. “Of course. We wanted to stay close to home for Lune, but you’re welcome to go wherever you wish.” They brushed a few loose strands of hair out of their face and glanced at the corner where Grisaille was sulking. “I would offer to show you around, but I don’t think Grisaille would like that,” they said apologetically.

It was regrettable but true. Grisaille was not making a secret of how little they wanted to be here, and how much they wanted nothing to do with their new siblings. Blanche wished to help them, but wasn’t sure what would help.

“But we can take Merle for the day, right?” Noire asked, their tone anxious.

“Of course,” Magpie said, which surprised Blanche, who had thought they would refuse. “Just... supervise them around Grisaille, please? Their relationship is struggling at the moment. I’d prefer it if they didn’t fight.”

Blanche of all people understood what it was like to have a difficult relationship with a sibling. Their eyes drifted toward Noire, who was not looking at them. They also knew what it felt like to be abandoned like they did not matter. While they did not feel that Merle’s transgressions were as bad as Noire’s, it was more than understandable that Grisaille was upset.

In the end, Noire, Blanche, Grisaille, Merle, Spark, and Sparrow all went. Ryder and Vincent decided to stay and hang out with Alice and Magpie, for which Blanche was secretly grateful. While they knew it was unfair to judge people on their physical appearance, they couldn’t help but find the men’s scarring off-putting.

Grisaille made sure to walk on the opposite side of the group from Merle and Sparrow, who took the lead. Merle insisted on showing them the beach first, and Sparrow didn’t mind, so they headed down the road. They passed the hotel, where Merle waved at the owner, who was out front watering the flower beds.

“Hi, Auntie Bess!” they called.

She straightened and shaded her eyes with her hand. “Hello, Merle. Going for a walk?”

“Yes!”

Because they didn’t stop walking, that was the end of the interaction. A few more blocks, and they could see the sea poking out from between the houses and the more expensive resorts that were right on the beach. Merle took a sharp right to the public access parking lot.

“Here’s the beach,” Merle said, pointing to it as though it weren’t self-evident.

Blanche couldn’t help but ask. “You lived this close to the beach, but you never learned how to swim?”

Merle slowly lowered their arm. “Well, it’s just that I didn’t have anyone to teach me.”

“I don’t swim,” Sparrow supplied, holding up their arms. “My prosthetics are heavy, and it hurts to detach and reattach them. Not worth it.”

“And Magpie doesn’t know how, Ryder sinks like a rock, and Vincent hates water,” Merle continued.

“Alice knows how, but the ocean scares her,” Sparrow finished.

“What about the other kids? Ciel and them?” Noire asked.

“Sure, they can swim, but they don’t live here.” Merle padded forward on the sand and scraped geometric designs with the toe of their sneaker. “Ciel and Etoile live in Unova, and Lune and Soleil travel between here and Sinnoh and wherever else. They don’t stay put. They’re just all here so that Lune and Etoile can recover.”

Noire scoffed. “Etoile seems fine.”

“They’re in pain still,” Sparrow replied. They joined Merle, finishing the square that Merle was drawing. Merle looked up at them with a smile, and Blanche felt a not-unfamiliar pang of jealousy. Everyone else seemed to interact so easily, but they were no good at it.

“Etoile is very stubborn,” Merle said.

“Yeah.” Sparrow watched Merle scrape together a small sand castle, then glanced at Grisaille. “Would you like to play in the sand, little one?” they asked Grisaille.

Grisaille frowned and shook their head, pointedly looking away. Their little hand was tucked into Noire’s, but other than that they refused to interact.

Sparrow nodded, not bothered by Grisaille’s lack of enthusiasm. “All right. What should we show them next, Merle?”

Merle straightened, brushing sand off their hands. “Can we go to the marina? I like to look at the boats,” they explained to Blanche and Noire.

“Sure, I love boats!” Spark said with enthusiasm. Blanche sent him a doubtful look, and he shrugged. He must be doing his part to try to ease the awkwardness in the group.

Merle wanted to walk along the sand, and after a few steps made them all stop so that they could take off their shoes and socks. With their shoes dangling from their fingers now, they continued on, pointing out houses and giving short explanations of who lived there.

After a few minutes, long enough that no one could accuse them of copying, Grisaille made the group stop so that they could _also_ take off their shoes and socks. Blanche sighed and waited, wondering if the feud between them and Noire ever got as annoying as this.

They waited another minute more as Grisaille wiggled their toes into the sound, their mouth rounded in surprise. Was this their first time at a beach? Blanche couldn’t recall.

If it was, they should have brought Grisaille to the beach earlier. Maybe they could have a beach day. Blanche would have to check whether Grisaille had packed a swimsuit, and if not, take them shopping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Headshots of the fam!](https://chiiwifruit.tumblr.com/post/630001112975622144) Can you tell who's who?
> 
> [Fullbody images of Grisaille and Merle. ](https://www.instagram.com/p/CFH6bymlM_x/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link)  
>  [Fullbody images of Ciel, Etoile, Lune, and Soleil](https://www.instagram.com/p/CFH6NymF0En/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link)
> 
> [Fullbody images of Noire, Blanche, Magpie, Sparrow, and Alice](https://www.instagram.com/p/CFH6A3cF5hv/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link)
> 
> [Family pic](https://www.instagram.com/p/CFH5q0_FWvm/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link)
> 
> Seriously, go show [Chibiwriter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chibiwriter/pseuds/chibiwriter) some love because that's an amazing amount of work. ; A;
> 
> Thank you for reading this far. I'll be back in January!


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